Spectral Eyes
by Far2addicted
Summary: Sasuke Uchiha has a secret: he has the power to see ghosts, a bloodline ability that has haunted and tried to control his whole life. But when he visits the quaint tourist town of Konoha, he meets a certain errant phantom named Naruto, and Sasuke is forced to use his power to save the village. AU, SasuNaru main, side ShinoKiba, KisaIta, ShikaNeji
1. The Journey

Hi! This is my first multi-chapter, so sorry if stuff gets awkward. I'm still trying to learn the format.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (and I don't want to. Okay, maybe I do a little.)

* * *

As Sasuke Uchiha stared at his reflection in the train window, the rain from the storm outside dripped down his mirrored cheeks in a mockery of tears. The windswept clouds colored the evening sky, turning it the hue of midnight. The howling wind drowned out the more cheerful noises of the other passengers, and a ghost conductor kept trying to punch his ticket. All in all, it was not the best way to start a trip.

It had been planned as a summer long family trip, but Sasuke's parents had backed out last minute. They had cited something to do with work, but he believed that the real reason lay more along the lines of not wanting to be far from his brother in his worsening condition. His parents owned and ran a large hospital, where his older brother, Itachi, currently resided in the premium white padded cell of the psychiatric division.

"May I please see your ticket?" The ghost conductor was back again, wearing a uniform indicative of an era at least fifty years prior.

Sasuke held his ticket in the air wordlessly, not looking at the specter. The conductor reached for it, but drew back with a confused look when his hand passed through the paper.

"I'm sorry..." He trailed off and walked a few steps before asking the same question of another passenger, who ignored the specter. The bemused expression returning to his face, he repeated the apology before moving on to the next passenger.

Oh, yeah. Sasuke Uchiha could see ghosts.

It was a power linked directly to the Uchiha bloodline. In fact, Sasuke had only discovered a single other person with a similar power: a man named Hyuga, whom he had met while interacting with same ghost. If Sasuke's father was to be believed, the power was a gift to ease the - well, not lives, but existences of the departed. Sasuke had once believed the same thing, until one fateful day when everything changed. It was the day that Itachi, Sasuke's beloved older brother, snapped under the pressure of the 'gift' and went insane.

Sasuke had been ten, young and impressionable, and the event had scarred him. Itachi had even tried to blind his younger brother, and succeeded in taking his own sight, before he had been apprehended and brought to the deluxe hotel for crazies. Since then, Sasuke had regarded ghosts with a kind of passive aggressive animosity, not quite anger, but not the awe he used to think of them with. Almost eight years had passed since that day, and it still haunted him so much that Sasuke had refused to even say his brother's name since the incident.

The spectral conductor finished his round and came back to Sasuke, asking for a ticket, which Sasuke again proffered wordlessly. There were three main kinds of ghosts: the kind that haunted their home or place of work, or another place that was important in their lives, the kind that haunted the place where their bodies were buried, and the kind that haunted the place where they died. The conductor was the first kind, a type of ghost called a specter that acted out a simple action over and over, unable to let go of living. They were the most prolific and least dangerous out of all three.

Ghosts that haunted their place of rest were called figures, and they were slightly more dangerous than specters. They possessed rudimentary powers of telekinesis, but usually were only a threat if their resting place was disturbed. Most commonly found in either Christian church cemeteries or family plots, figures cared so deeply where they were buried that they were unable to leave it after death.

The rarest kind of ghost, the kind that haunted the scene of their own death, was the most dangerous. Either the victims of horrific accidents or violent crimes, hatred and anger kept these malignant spirits, called draugrs, present after their demise. Their strong emotions allowed them to hone powers of telekinesis and experiment with corporeality, giving them the power to greatly affect the living to the point that they could actually kill someone. The older a draugr was, the more time it had to hone its powers, and the more dangerous it was. It was one of these draugrs, a serial killer named Orochimaru who had died during his attempted arrest, who had finally pushed Itachi over the edge.

There was a direct correlation between the age of a ghost and its level of power, no matter the kind. That being said, there was an age beyond which ghosts lost their powers and faded away, unable to support their mind without a body and keep sane any longer. Only perhaps five to ten percent of people became ghosts, and half of those, usually the specters, faded before twenty-five or thirty years had passed. Figures could last up fifty years, depending on their level of attachment, and draugrs could stay present for over seventy-five if they harbored particularly bad emotions pertaining to their death. That meant that this spectral conductor was long overdue for rest.

"May I please see your ticket?" This time, Sasuke looked directly at the ghost and smiled pleasantly, raising his ticket high enough that the conductor could reach it with his puncher without having to grab for it, which would inevitably cause it to pass through the paper. The specter's eyes grew wide, and he extended his puncher with trembling hands, catching the ticket in its jaws and clicking it shut, punching a small hole.

"Thank you. I think you've done enough work. Why don't you rest now?" Sasuke asked quietly, fixing his gaze squarely on the conductor.

Tears formed in the specter's eyes. "Thank you," he whispered. "I just needed to punch one more ticket..." Then he began to blur around the edges, and dissolved into nothingness.

Sasuke lowered his ticket, noting its flawless state and ignoring the strange look he was getting from the woman across the aisle. He was used to it.

This was going to be a long trip.


	2. The Arrival

It was still raining when the train arrived at the platform, and Sasuke had packed his umbrella in his suitcase. Not that he couldn't fish it out, but he didn't feel like showing off his collection of superhero underwear to get at it. Oh, and also his emergency supplies in case he ran into a dangerous draugr. It would be a little hard to explain why he had rock salt, silver knives, and exorcism quality holy water and crosses packed in with his shorts. Not that the religious artifacts always worked, only if the spirit had been religious in its lifetime, but it was often enough to slow down something hell-bent on harming him.

Sasuke was shocked out of his umbrella: _to fetch, or not to fetch_ musings by the honk of a car horn. A man with a strange mask covering his lower face and one eye got out of the driver's seat of the solid, inelegant black vehicle, waving to the teenager.

"Uchiha! That you?"

Sasuke regarded the man in the rain with suspicion, staying under the canopy of the platform. "Who are you?"

The man slammed the car door and ran through the rain to stand next to Sasuke under the canopy. "Name's Kakashi. I own the place your folks rented a suite in for the summer. They sent me word that you'd be coming out alone, so I thought I'd come pick you up."

When the look of suspicion refused to slip from Sasuke's face, he thought Kakashi smiled in approval, but it was impossible to tell because of the mask. "Your folks sent me a picture so I'd be able to recognize you. Here."

He pulled out a phone and tapped it a few times, then turned it around to show Sasuke the image of him and his parents that had been taken on their last family vacation, a hiking trip in Olympic National Park the previous summer that had been cut short when Itachi had reached a whole new level of crazy and the two concerned parents had rushed back. The picture had been taken on the top of Klahhane Ridge, a four mile one way hike from the Hurricane Ridge Visitor's Center. A passing hiker had offered to get them all together when he had seen them taking individual shots, and the moment, in all its sweaty, exhausted glory, had been immortalized. Had it really been that long since all three of them smiled together?

Sasuke nodded, deciding to trust the man. "Okay. How far is it?

"About ten minutes normally, but with the rain it may be closer to fifteen." Kakashi slipped the phone back in his pocket and offered a hand. "Can I take your suitcase?"

Sasuke's grip tightened around the handle. "I'd prefer to take it, but thank you."

Chuckling to himself, Kakashi pulled his collar higher to protect his neck against the rain in preparation for running back to the car. "Such a polite kid. We don't get many outta-state teens with good manners." He clapped Sasuke on the back. "Ready to run for it?"

"If I must."

"On three, then. Three!"

The masked man took off before Sasuke could react. Cursing a bit under his breath, he darted out into the pelting rain towards the dark car. Kakashi had obviously expected him to take shotgun, but Sasuke jumped in the backseat, unwilling to part with his suitcase. No one but him would see the trappings inside. If Kakashi was perturbed, he hid it well and simply started the engine.

"Well, Mr. Uchiha, welcome to Konoha, Maine, the cutest, most historic fishing village you're likely to find on the Atlantic Coast, currently in the middle of a hurricane."

Sasuke absorbed the information, reacting to only one part of the statement. "Mr. Uchiha is my father. Please call me Sasuke."

"Alright... Sasuke." Kakashi regarded him in the rearview mirror. "Would you like a tour of sorts? I can point out some things you can do yourself before your folks get here, if you'd like."

"Thank you. I'd like that very much."

"Hm." Kakashi's eye flickered back to the road. "Well, you can find lots of little hole-in-a-wall stores within a quarter hour's walk in any direction of the inn, but out here there's some nature trails, a bike path and a hidden swimming hole that some of the locals go to. If you make any friends, maybe one of them might show you the way."

Sasuke snorted before he could help it. "Not very likely." At Kakashi's questioning glance, he blushed. "Sorry. I just tend not to make friends very easily."

"Hm." That noise was going to drive Sasuke crazy. "Anyway, if you like books, there's the ANBU Book Shop and Cafe. They cater to some weird tastes, though, so be careful in there. Konoha also has a public library. If you're interested, I could probably get you signed up for a card."

"I like books..." Sasuke trailed off as he spied an old church. Three figures roamed the cemetery. "What's that?"

"An official historic landmark of Konoha. There's a walking trail among the bigger ones, like the Freedom Trail in Boston." Kakashi's one eye gleamed. "There's also haunted tours that go around the village at night, and people have sworn they've seen ghosts on them."

Great. More ghosts. "So, is there a lot of supernatural culture in this community?"

"Supernatural culture!?" Kakashi nearly slammed on the breaks in shock. "You mean you came here, and you don't even know?"

"Know what?" Sasuke asked apprehensively.

"Sasuke, Konoha is one of the most haunted places in the world! That's how we attract most of our tourists! This is the 'historic Maine village with a dark underbelly.' Why, even my inn, the Hokage, has a few resident ghosts!"

Sasuke almost groaned aloud. "And my father knew this before he booked our reservation?"

"I would assume so. It's advertised right on the website."

At Sasuke's muffled silence, Kakashi gave a concerned glance into the backseat. "You okay? Afraid of ghosts or something?"

"I'm fine." A thought struck him. "How do you know that the Hokage has ghosts?"

"Because I've seen them."

Sasuke blanched. Kakashi couldn't see ghosts: Sasuke had already seen his eye, and it was perfectly normal. But what motive did the masked man have for lies? Other than selling more rooms, but the Uchihas had already reserved for the whole summer.

Mask...

Kakashi had one eye covered under his mask! What if the hidden eye wasn't normal or missing, but possessed an eye power like the Uchiha Sharingan? Then he could see the spirits that should be invisible to the eye.

No! Kakashi was just trying to create an image and a reputation, one that would gain him revenue. This town definitely had ghosts - Sasuke had already seen some - but no more than a big city like Chicago, his home, did. He would just ignore them as he always did, or help them pass if they were ready. This summer would be peaceful and devoid of significant supernatural happenings.

"We're here." The words abruptly cut into Sasuke's musings with the silence of the engine, and it was only then that he realized that the older man had remained silent for the rest of the ride. He looked out the window, and beheld one of the most beautiful buildings he had ever seen. It was an old fashioned New England Victorian Style home, painted and repaired faithfully to keep it as true as possible to the original.

"It's amazing," Sasuke said in awe.

"You really like it?" Kakashi seemed pleased.

"Yes. It's much more beautiful than my home in Chicago."

"Hm." An unseen smile briefly played across Kakashi's features. "It's still raining pretty hard, so we'll have to run for it. You good for it?"

Sasuke hefted his suitcase against his body. "I'll manage."

"On three?"

With the barest hint of a smile, Sasuke replied, "Only if I can count."

For the longest time, it seemed like Kakashi was not going to respond. Then, abruptly, he nodded. "Three, your count."

Gripping the handle of the car door, Sasuke started to count. "One... Two..."

"Three!" Kakashi called the number and started ahead of Sasuke, looking back over his shoulder in challenge. Cursing louder than under his breath this time, Sasuke followed in an undignified scramble, fumbling with the handle and almost shutting the door on his suitcase. The dash to the door was a mad slip-n-slide of wet gravel and puddles, deceptive in their depth.

When Sasuke made it to the door, it was to find Kakashi holding it open with a gloating air. "Glad ta see you made it- ah!"

The words cut off in a yelp as Sasuke, unable to control his speed, lost the traction between his wet sneakers and the smooth floor, and crashed right into Kakashi. The two went tumbling to the floor, landing on their respective asses. Wide-eyed, Sasuke stared at the older man, afraid that he had broken some unspoken rule, or worse, hurt him. That one eye gazed back, inscrutable, for a long moment before a low rumble started behind the mask. The rumble soon broke into laughter so infectious, Sasuke had no choice but to join in. Standing up, Kakashi wiped a single tear of mirth from his eye before extending a hand to the still seated Uchiha.

As Sasuke accepted the hand, Kakashi shook his head. "That was somethin', kid. I ain't been knocked off my block for a long time."

Sasuke blushed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It felt good." Kakashi clapped him on the shoulder. "I think it's gonna be a great summer with you here, Sasuke."

"Thank you."

Glancing at a large grandfather clock, Kakashi whistled at the time. "Gosh, I didn't realize it was so late! The rain makes it hard to tell, don't it? Anyways, you're probably wanting to get settled in, right? You must have had a long day of travel."

"Yeah, I am," Sasuke replied, not realizing exactly how tired he was until that moment.

"Suite's second at the top of the stairs. Door's labeled 2B. You should be able to find it easily enough."

With a warm, real smile, Sasuke shook Kakashi's hand. "Thank you. I mean it. And sorry about... Well, you know."

"Hey, don't mention it."

Sasuke was halfway up the stairs when Kakashi called after him. "And be careful of the ghosts!"

A cold chill slipped up Sasuke's spine, and he was suddenly wide awake. "I will," he called back in a jovial tone, though he felt anything but. Eyes wide and mind alert, he ascended the rest of the stairs and turned to the suite his parents had rented, 2B. Shutting the door quickly behind him, Sasuke slipped past the master bedroom and into the smaller guest bedroom, closing that door firmly as well.

It was a fairly bare room, but that was to be expected. A queen size bed rested against the far wall, sporting an elaborate head and footboard. A small table sat beside the bed, and a bureau stood up next to a second door that let to a slim closet. On the side nearer to the door was an old fashioned secretary's desk and wooden chair with a wicker bottom. The pale blue walls were bare except for an old sepia picture of a plow in a field rimmed by trees and a stone wall. Taking note of his surroundings, Sasuke dropped his suitcase in the middle of the floor and knelt next to it.

With a certain sense of urgency, Sasuke opened the lid of his suitcase and took out all the equipment related to the supernatural and sorted it on the bedside table. Then, with quick, practiced movements, he took the mason jar of rock salt and sprinkled a thick line of it across the doorjamb.

Spirits could pass through walls, of course, but specters tended to stay within the limits of their mortal bodies, so it was doubtful one would pass through a wall in the night. A figure might, since they tended to have more mental awareness, but there hadn't been any hint of a cemetery nearby, so the chances of a figure were slim. A draugr wouldn't be stopped by a line of salt, even one all the way around the room, but then, if a draugr came after Sasuke, he had bigger things to worry about than a night of uninterrupted sleep, so the salt provided fair enough protection.

His room secure, Sasuke now sat on the bed and gazed at his phone, the least pleasant part of the evening eminent. With a sigh, he dialed his father's number and pressed the phone against his ear.

It picked up after the first ring. "You in Konoha?"

That was it. No 'how was your day,' or 'did you have a good trip?' Just 'you in Konoha?' But then again, Sasuke was used to it.

"Yeah, I'm in Konoha. It was raining when I got off the train, so Kakashi - that's the guy that owns the place we rented the rooms from - drove out to get me."

"I see." Suspicion entered his father's voice. "He didn't ask for a tip, did he?"

"No!" Sasuke stood up and raked a hand through his hair to quell his emotions. "He didn't ask for money. He just did it because he's a good person. Anyway, I handled the suitcase myself."

"Good."

An almost painful silence hung before Sasuke's father asked stiltedly, "Did you have a good trip?"

Sasuke would have been happy, but he had heard his mother whisper instructions to ask the question in the background. "It was fine. A little eventful. I had a run-in with a fifty year old spectral conductor on the train, but-"

"Did you lay him to rest?" His father interrupted with biting words.

"Yeah, I just let him punch my ticket and he faded." Sasuke sat back down on the bed, too tired to stand anymore. "Hey, did you know that Konoha was supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the world when you decided to have a family vacation here?"

"What?" The news clearly stunned his father as much as it had stunned him.

"It's a tourist attraction, apparently. Kakashi even swore up and down that The Hokage's haunted."

"Did you put a line of salt across your door?"

Sighing, Sasuke placed his arm across his eyes. "Yes. I'm not stupid." A suspicion overtook him. "You didn't know, did you? Tell me, did you even make the reservation yourself, or did you make your secretary do it?"

"Sasuke-"

"Never mind. I don't want to know."

The silence hung, heavy, until Sasuke's father broke it again. "Do you want to speak to your mother?"

Sasuke blinked back tears. "Sure."

There was some white noise as the phone transferred hands, then the cheerful voice of Sasuke's mother serenaded his ear. "Sasuke? How are you? How was your trip? Are you alright there on your own?"

A smile briefly lifted the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, I'm fine. Trip was good."

"That's good to hear! I was worried about sending my baby off on his own, but I knew you could do it! Tell me, do you have any ideas about what you're going to do before we get there?"

"Not really. There's a bookshop and a library I might check out, and some nature trails. That's all I've thought about so far."

Her voice turned mischievous. "See any cute girls?"

His smile evaporated. "Mom, there's two hours difference between Chicago and Maine, so it's dark, and it's raining outside. Besides, you know I'm-"

"Well, that doesn't matter. I'm sure you'll meet some soon."

Sasuke bit his lip, stopping the last word he was going to say from coming out. "It's late, Mom. I think I want to go to bed."

"Oh. Okay." Her disappointment was palpable. "Will you call again tomorrow?"

"Maybe."

"Alright. Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight. And tell Dad I said the same to him."

"You can just tell him yourself! I'll hand the phone over, and-" _click_.

Sasuke hung up on his parents, suddenly feeling a lot more tired than he probably had any right to be. Placing the phone carefully on the bedside table, he gave one last check of the line of salt before kicking off his shoes and turning off the light. Fully clothed, he fell onto the bed, too exhausted to care. Though he wanted nothing more than to sleep and forget the harrowing day of travel, the blissful abyss of slumber evaded him for a long time.


	3. A Certain Mischievous Little Ghost

This chapter came fast, but that's just because I had most of it done already. My rule is at least three chapters planned out before publication, or I won't have the motivation to get it done!

Thanks so much to **wideyedwander** for reviewing. My inbox dinged less then two hours after I posted the story, and I cannot tell you how much that meant to me! Because of that, I stayed up late to post the next chapter. And, as you hoped, here he gets to me Naruto!

* * *

If Sasuke hadn't already known that it was going to be a long trip, the sight he beheld when he woke up would have confirmed it. A blond boy, perhaps ten years old, sat at the end of his bed, looking mighty pleased with himself. A brief glance around the room confirmed that the mischievous ghost had ransacked his entire suitcase and placed every single article of clothing as some form of decoration.

Sasuke had always thought of himself as a little emo, and most of his wardrobe was black, so the room looked like an explosion of shadow. Socks had been placed over all four bedposts, standing like sentinels of his waking doom. Over each blade of the ceiling fan hung one of Sasuke's t-shirts, including one he particularly liked that had a single red eye centered on the black fabric, and another that had a red and white symbol that looked a little like a ping pong paddle. Every single pair of boxers, without fail, had been flung in the highest locations about the room. One was even hanging from the light fixture. The one nice outfit he had brought, a suit-like jacket and tie with dress pants, had been set up in the chair on the far side of the room, and a top hat he knew wasn't his sat balanced on the chair back, completing the ensemble.

"How do you like it?"

Sasuke stuffed his head back under the pillow. Now was not the time for- whatever this was.

"Hellooooooooo! I know you can hear me!" The sound of the ghost's voice grew closer. "Good morning, sunshine!"

"Go away!" Sasuke lashed out with his pillow, going right through the little spirit.

"No way! That actually worked?" The blond ghost tackled Sasuke, suddenly very corporeal, and pinned him to the bed. Startled eyes of vibrant cerulean stared down into sleepy black ones. "You can hear me? For realsies?"

Sasuke groaned, knowing he should have left well enough alone. "For realsies? Who even says that?"

A hand flew up to cover the ghost's mouth. "You really can hear hear me? Can you see me? How many fingers am I holding up?" He waved a finger so vehemently it almost went up Sasuke's nose.

"One, and you're going to poke my eye out if you're not careful. Get off, moron!" The last was accompanied by a shove against a surprisingly firm chest.

The ghost tumbled a bit in the air before righting himself and floating, cross legged, at the foot of the bed. With a shimmer, he adopted the form of a five year old with the same blond hair and blue eyes before turning a fakely tearful puppy dog gaze on Sasuke. "You wouldn't say that to a little kid, would you?"

Sasuke jumped so badly, he cracked his head back against the headboard. "Ow! How the hell did you do that?"

"Do what? This?" The ghost gestured to his small form, then gave a grin that could only be described as self-satisfied. "Practice, duh! How does anyone learn anything new?"

"That's not what I meant," Sasuke grumbled. "Are you altering my perception?"

"No, just myself."

Without warning, Sasuke leaned forward and grabbed the mischievous spirit's arm. To his surprise, it really was as thin as a five-year-old's. "You really are altering yourself!"

"Well, duh," the ghost said with that same grin.

Suspicion entered the Uchiha's mind. Body alteration was a highly advanced draugr ability, as well as the telekinesis and corporeality abilities the little ghost had already displayed. He let go of the spirit's arm as if it had burned him, backing himself up as close to the headboard as he could get. Sasuke reached stealthily for a silver blade on the bedside table, feeling slightly more secure when his fingers curled around the hilt. The spirit hummed to himself at the foot of the bed, clearly pleased with the reaction he was sponsoring.

"My name's Naruto. What's yours?"

Sasuke chose not to reply, instead gripping his silver blade tighter as suspicion, in turn, gripped him. A name could be used to lay a curse on people, and if this little ghost - Naruto, if he was to be believed - was a draugr, he could have that ability as well. It was rare that a ghost had the power to curse someone, for it required a soul whose body had performed rituals of witchcraft before death, but considering the powers Naruto had already displayed, it wasn't a large stretch of the imagination.

"Helloooo. I asked you a question!" With a pout, Naruto leaned closer to Sasuke.

Eyes widening in fear, Sasuke whipped the knife out in between them, and Naruto was barely able to stop his forward momentum in enough time to avoid touching the glimmering metal.

"What the Hell, man! That shit's silver! Do you know how much that could fuck me up?"

Blinking in surprise at the tirade, Sasuke was almost tempted to lower the knife. Almost. "That's a dirty mouth for a kid."

"Who the Hell did you expect, a fucking angel? You obviously know your shit about ghosts, so why pull a silver knife? That's just cruel." His eyes widened, then Naruto quickly floated off the bed, reverting to a state where he resembled a fifteen year old. "Wait, you aren't actually using that for self-protection, are you? Jesus, it was a prank! I'm not going to hurt you!"

Sasuke lowered the knife, but didn't relinquish it. "Why are you in my room?"

"The line of salt, duh!" Naruto hooked a thumb toward the door. "You can't do that and expect me not to pull something, can you? To any ghost who's not brain-dead, it's like an invitation, a 'look at me, I actually know something about ghosts!' Though, in this town, we do get lots of weirdos who just like to play along, and they run out in their undies the second they realize a real ghost lives here."

Sasuke felt his shoulders slump. That meant if he had just left things alone and hadn't acted so smart with the line of salt, he wouldn't have had the dubious pleasure of meeting the troublesome spirit, who was currently brushing imaginary dust off the borrowed top hat.

Warming up to Naruto, but still unsure whether to trust him, Sasuke asked, "Do you remember how you died?"

"Hm? Nah, but I do know I was buried in the cemetery a town over, so it must have been when I was away. My old man used to own The Hokage a long time ago, so I like it here the best. Anyway, sometimes we get people staying here who can sense ghosts, maybe once every two years or so, but people who can see them are really rare. The last one was this guy, maybe a decade ago, who had invented a special filter to go over the lense of his camera, and he took some really good pictures of me. That's how he could see ghosts, through his camera lens..."

Sasuke tuned out the mindless drabble spilling forth from Naruto. If the information was true, it meant that Naruto had to be a specter; with his body and place of demise so far away, it was impossible for him to be either a figure or a draugr. However, with his advanced powers, it was possible that Naruto could be classified in a special class of specter, the phantasma specter, also known as phantoms.

Phantoms had such big personalities, they couldn't let go of their humanity when they died, and thus were the most human-like of all ghosts. Because of this, the specter would have the unaffected disposition of a specter, the mental dexterity of a figure, and could gain the powers of a draugr by experimentation, something he would do for amusement but a draugr did with the goal of revenge. But phantom were rare, so rare, in fact, seeing one in a lifetime was extremely lucky, and it was more likely that any do-called "phantom" was actually a draugr setting an elaborate trap. Sasuke needed more information.

"I'm going out," Sasuke decided suddenly, cutting off the blond ghost's bothersome tirade.

"-But, man, was he a- wait, you're leaving?"

He looked so crestfallen that Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little bad. "I'll come back. I just need to get out and look around, that's all. I'm going to be here the who summer, so I have to make a few arrangements."

"You're here the whole summer!?" Excitement flashed in Naruto's eyes and practically dripped from his voice.

"Yeah," Sasuke answered, mentally kicking himself. He didn't want to spend his vacation being bothered by a spirit, especially if said spirit had hidden homicidal tendencies, but he minorly comforted himself with the knowledge that Naruto would have found out anyway.

"Awesome! Maybe we can do stuff together! I never get to play with humans. Ooh, maybe I can introduce you to some of my friends! We would have so much fun together!"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted neutrally, not agreeing or disagreeing. For now, he decided that Naruto wasn't going to hurt him, so he laid down the knife, but more research was in order.

Stretching, Sasuke got out of bed, and promptly tripped over a pair of pants sticking out from under his suitcase as if the heavy box had smashed down on a person's torso. Naruto gave a sheepish grin in light of Sasuke's baleful glare. Walking to the door, he issued an ultimatum to the ghost. "I'm going to the bathroom, and if you're still here when I come back, you're going to get an eyeful. And don't think I won't, because I will."

"Roger that," Naruto said with a cheerful salute. Sasuke ignored him and, leaving the room, disturbing the line of salt as he did so, headed for the bathroom. The master bedroom had its own washroom, but if Sasuke had to go, he had to use the one in the hall of the suit. Shutting the door behind him, Sasuke regarded his reflection in the mirror.

Surprisingly, he found he was smiling slightly. More of a smirk, really, but still a genuine smile. _Get it together,_ he warned himself as he turned on the faucet to splash his face with cool water.

Running his wet fingers through his messy hair, Sasuke finally gave up on getting it to lay down and fluffed it up in some semblance of care. Upon realizing he was bereft of a toothbrush, Sasuke found that he didn't quite care enough to fetch it, and instead swished some water around in his mouth and spit it out. His teenage boy morning toilet now complete, he gazed slightly less blearily at his reflection before trekking back to his room.

True to his word, Naruto was no longer invading the private space of Sasuke's room when he returned. With a sigh, he had set about planning the best way to retrieve a fresh set of clothes when a flash of black on the bed caught his eye. There, against the downy comforter, was an entire clean outfit, complete with a soft black shirt - the one with the red eye - pulled down from the ceiling fan and and a pair of socks, taken from their spot as decoration on the bedposts and neatly folded.

Shaking his head slightly, Sasuke quickly dressed. He grabbed a satchel from inside his suitcase and hid in it a silver knife and some holy water, packing them in a secret compartment in case someone frisky decided to take a peek. It was probably too much protection and too much secrecy, but Sasuke had always found it was better to be safe than sorry. To divert attention, he threw a few extra things in the satchel, like a book he was supposed to read for his Freshmen English class and his phone.

The last thing Sasuke did before leaving the room was grab the mysterious top hat. Perhaps, he reasoned, he could find its owner downstairs, before he left for the day.

As soon as Sasuke shut the door to the suit firmly behind him, the delectable smell of pancakes assaulted his nostrils. Following his nose down the stairs to a dining area, Sasuke found a pink-haired girl serving plates of fresh, steaming breakfast a few other guests. When she saw Sasuke standing in the entranceway to the dining area, she waved at him.

"Hey! You must be Uchiha! Come in!"

Doing as he was bid, Sasuke sat down at an empty table, making sure his satchel didn't leave his side. To his surprise, the pink-haired girl plopped down opposite him.

"Hi! I'm Sakura. I work here, serving people and stuff."

"Sasuke," he acknowledged.

"Cool." Sakura fingered the strands of her short hair absentmindedly. "So, can I get you something to eat? Breakfast is on the house for all residents."

"Probably not," Sasuke grimaced. "I don't tend to eat a whole lot the day after travel."

Sakura's eyes lit up. "Right, you just got here last night! Did you have a good trip? Folks still sleeping?"

"They didn't come."

The abrupt answer shocked the peppy girl. "I- I'm sorry?" She offered uncertainly.

"It's fine. They just got tied up, is all. They'll probably be along in a few days." The unrehearsed lie fell easily - too easily - from Sasuke's lips. It always bothered him how often he had to give excuses for his parent's continued absences, thanks to his "far more needy" older brother.

"That's good." Sakura flipped her hair behind her shoulder, back in professional mode. "Can I at least get an apple or something? To take with you? If you're going to be out all day, you're going to get hungry."

"Sure," Sasuke accepted, thinking it couldn't hurt. "By the way, do you know who this belongs to?" He gestured to the top hat previously settled on the table. "I found it earlier this morning."

"My hat!" The shout from behind Sasuke made him jump, and a hand entered his field of vision to snatch the offending article of clothing up. Kakashi stepped around the table, affixing the hat on his head at a jaunty angle. "Wherever did you find it?"

Sasuke shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Hm." Kakashi's single eye glittered knowingly.

Sasuke ignored the look before remembering a thought from that morning. "That reminds me, though; I had something to ask you, Kakashi."

"Fire away."

Sasuke stood to better talk with the masked man. "Yesterday, you mentioned something about a library, and I was thinking I'd like to check it out. Can I get some directions?"

The next thing Sasuke knew, the older man was pumping his hand vigorously, cries of "He reads! He reads!" ringing in his ears.

After that, everything passed in a loud blur of swirling bodies, crinkling paper and cacophonous voices until Sasuke found himself outside the front door of The Hokage, an apple in one hand, a piece of paper with directions to the library and a note from Kakashi for Iruka, head librarian, in the other, and wondering how people survived living in Konoha year-round.

The library was a simple, if long, walk away, about twenty minutes by foot, but it took longer since Sasuke was savoring the journey, munching on the apple while picking out places he might like to visit later. Konoha was a bustling, one-street downtown, historic culture preservation kind of village, the quintessential tourist attraction for those looking for a laid back vacation, and, Sasuke noted as he passed a sign advertising midnight haunted tours, those with a flair for the dramatic and supernatural.

Except for a single old specter seated on the sidewalk, repairing a hole in a spectral net, the downtown area was devoid of ghosts, but held a mysterious aura that made Sasuke decide to never walk there alone after dark. As he neared the edges of the busiest spots, the aura decreased. The darkness rapidly disappearing into imperceptibility made Sasuke suspicious. Konoha was called haunted for a reason; it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to count on a least a few resident draugrs.

Sasuke had to check his hastily scribbled directions twice when he reached his destination. A large Victorian style house, much like The Hokage except it was yellow where the inn was blue, stood proudly a little ways back from the road, reminiscent in all its glory of a mansion on a hill. It looked so little like a library that for a minute, he wondered if he had taken a wrong turn until he saw the small sign on the door, proclaiming the hours. With a slightly nervous deep breath, Sasuke opened the door and walked into the cool, climate-controlled interior.

A man from behind a desk looked up at the tinkle of a bell announcing Sasuke's arrival. "Hello, and welcome to Konoha Public Library. Can I help you with something?"

Relief washed over Sasuke; he did have the right place after all. "I'm looking for someone named Iruka. I'm supposed to tell him Kakashi sent me."

"Ah, a reader!" The man behind the desk stood up with a wide smile. "Kakashi sometimes sends me people he thinks will fit in here. I'm Iruka," he said by way of explanation.

Iruka was of average build, taller than Sasuke but shorter than Kakashi had been, and inexplicably tan for a man who worked inside. Brown locks were held in control by a black hair tie, glossy and smooth. All in all, he was a rather plain man, with one exception. The most remarkable thing about him was a long scar across his nose, marring the planes of his face.

"Nice to meet you," Sasuke said cordially. "I'm Sasuke. Here, this is from Kakashi." He held out the note.

"Thank." Iruka took the paper. While reading it, he remarked absentmindedly, "You like the Hokage?"

"It's... unique," Sasuke managed to say.

Iruka snorted in amusement. "That's one way to describe it. So, you wanna look around? Or have you got something specific in mind?"

"Actually, I do," Sasuke replied. "I'm looking to do some research into the history of this town. Do you have any old newspapers, photos, birth and death records, that sort of thing?"

"Hm." Iruka carefully considered for a moment. "We do have a digital anthology of old newspapers. Anything in particular you looking for?"

Sasuke hesitated before answering, not sure if Iruka could be trusted. "I'm looking for a particular person, but I only have a first name: Naruto. I do know he's connected in some way to the Hokage, though."

"Naruto, hm?" Iruka's eyes sharpened. "I don't recognize the name, but you could look through the early records of ownership, and I do know that there's some old photo albums of the Hokage that have been preserved. You're more than welcome to look through them, if you like. There in the back room, through the shelves."

"Thanks," Sasuke said with gratitude, heading towards the back room. He didn't notice Iruka pick up his phone and stealthily dial a number.

Kakashi picked up on the first ring. "What is it, my dearest?"

"Stop it! I'm working," Iruka whispered with a blush staining his cheeks. Then he shook his head to clear his thoughts and spoke in a low voice. "He's made contact."

A sigh came through the phone line. "I thought as much, with the hat this morning. But why hasn't he said anything?"

"God only knows why teenagers do the things they do."

"That's true." A lengthy pause resonated between them. "But if he has the ability I think he does, Iruka, he may be just what we've been looking for."


	4. The Girl and the Stone

I wasn't sure that this was going to get off the ground, but now that I know it will, the official update schedule will be every Sunday and Thursday.

Thanks again to Wideyedwander and now to Dreaming of Rocketships for the great reviews! I was a little worried that it would be too much scene-setting since this story is so AU, but it seem like I'm doing something right! This chapter and the next should be the last of it, fleshing out Sasuke's relationships with every character, and after that will start the action!

Thanks again for all the support!

* * *

Great patience.

That's what it took Sasuke to spend the morning cramped up, looking through old photo albums for any sign of Naruto, learning everything he never wanted to know about the Hokage's previous owners, including an old doctor named Tsunade, a frog collecting enthusiast named Jiraiya, and a grandfather and grandson son duel ownership of Hiruzen Saritobi and Konohamaru. There was an album for every owner, starting in 1903 with the opening of the Hokage and ending with a partial one for Kakashi, the current owner. Sasuke had started in the sixties and worked back, sure Naruto couldn't be less than a half century old, but he grew more irritated as time went on, and he was forced to delve deeper into the archives.

At the height of the Great Depression, a man named Zabuza was tried for the murder of his son, Haku. His reason for the kill had been that the inn was doing so badly, he couldn't afford to feed the boy, and didn't want him to starve. Zabuza committed suicide before he was convicted. Sasuke shuddered at the thought - how did one have the strength to kill someone they loved to save them from an even greater horror?

During the roaring twenties, the Hokage changed hands several times, from a man named Nara to one named Aburame to another named Inuzuka, unable to find a steady owner. Inuzuka was even accused of running a speakeasy in the basement of the Hokage, and making his son be a bootlegger.

An hour into his search, Sasuke slammed the second to last photo album closed in frustration. Not a single image of Naruto could be found in any of the archives! Sasuke was almost ready to give up, but the memory of the mischievous smile little spirit's face that morning came up in his mind. His need to find out Naruto's identity was slowly turning from a simple assurance that he was a phantom and not a draugr to an obsession to know what had happened in the boy's past. The burning smile haunted him, driving fingers to turn pages.

With a sigh, Sasuke reached for the last and oldest album: 1903, the opening of the Hokage. Ghosts couldn't live for over a hundred years, they simply didn't have the mental stamina to remain awake and aware for that long. Hell, even humans couldn't live a hundred years without turning into a slobbering, forgetful mess. Thus, the chances of finding Naruto in the album were very slim, but Sasuke still cracked it open.

There, looking up at Sasuke as if to mock his assumptions, was an image of the Hokage in its early days, complete with the first owner and his family. The caption read, "The Hokage opens, 1903, under the direction of Minato Namikaze, pictured here with wife Kushina Uzumaki and son Naruto Uzumaki."

Even without the name, Sasuke would have recognized him. The mischievous grin gave him away, seeming to bleed blue into the the sepia eyes so full of glee. In the photo, Naruto looked to be about eight or ten years old, and, curiously, was holding a pair of fox kits, identical except for a white patch on the head of one kit.

Sasuke had what he was looking for - a last name, the name of his father, and a relative time period - yet he couldn't bare to tear his eyes away from the colorless continence. It drew him in with the power of a whirlpool intent on a victim, raising new questions to take the place of the answered ones. Why did the father have a different surname from his wife? Were they not married? Considering the time period, that was unlikely, but then, what other circumstance would allow different surnames in the same family? Additionally, why did Naruto take his mother's surname, and not his father's?

Unable to help himself, Sasuke turned a few more pages, hoping to be rewarded with another glimpse of a colorless Naruto, but they were all of Minato and the Hokage, showing off the different rooms. With a sigh, he closed the photo album and placed it back on the shelf.

According to the second photo album, the Hokage had changed hands in 1912, but it didn't say why it had changed hands. In other words, Sasuke could count on at least Naruto's father being alive and in Konoha until 1912, but after that, it was anyone's guess as to where the family ended up.

A box labeled Death Records seemed promising, but Sasuke found that it only went as far back as 1943, so it was useless. He stood in the center of the room, gazing around for another lead.

At the far end of the room, Sasuke spotted a desktop computer, and remembered Iruka mentioning something about digitized newspaper articles. He sat down before it and hit the power button. It gave a loud tone as it started up, and Sasuke jumped, looking around guilty even though he knew he wasn't doing anything wrong.

The clunky desktop started up slowly, loading with graphics at least five years out of date. Sasuke wrinkled his nose at it, used to the much more sophisticated technology in Chicago libraries. But it did the job, he soon found out, as it opened up to a homepage with three folders, each labeled with a different newspaper. He clicked on the one labeled "Konoha Journal-1908-1933". It was the oldest one, probably an early monthly paper that went out of business during the Great Depression.

Someone had taken many hours to scan in every page of every available issue of the newspaper into the computer. Some were missing pages, and a few time a whole issue was marked as "unable to find this edition", but on the whole, it was the most complete collection of old newspapers Sasuke had ever seen. He started in January of 1911, looking for any mention of the Hokage, Naruto, or Minato Namikaze.

It was in the June issue of 1912 where Sasuke found his answer. The front page headline was unassuming, something about a two-headed cow born a town over, but a smaller article halfway down the page caught his eye. The title read, _The Hokage Changes Hands after the Death of Owner and Family._ Reading further, he found little pertaining to the deaths of Naruto and his family, only the crossover. Frustrated, he was about to give up when the last line caught his attention. "Namikaze and family died in a train accident in the neighboring town of Sunagakure, and were laid to rest there."

There was the answer. Naruto had to be a phantom, because both his place of death and his place of rest were outside of Konoha. Sasuke leaned back in his chair, feeling an unexpected relief spark through his chest. It shouldn't matter to him; this was just a precaution, a measure to know how careful he had to be around the spirit. It wasn't as if Sasuke had taken Naruto's proposition of spending time together that morning into actual consideration. Besides, humans and ghosts couldn't coexist. Uchihas put ghosts to rest; that's all there was to it, and all there would ever be.

"Find what you were looking for?"

The unexpected voice directly behind him made Sasuke jump so high, he fully left the seat and dropped the mouse on the floor.

Iruka laughed as Sasuke turned to face him, but in a kind way. "I take it you were concentrating pretty hard. You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Something like that," Sasuke muttered.

Iruka leaned forward to see the page Sasuke had been looking at. "Ooh, two-headed cows! Some people think that the birth of a double-headed calf heralded a year with a particularly large number of spiritual sightings! You believe in that kind of stuff?"

Sasuke just shrugged, uncomfortable with the question. It was hard for him to talk openly about any kind of spiritual happenings, since his power gave him much greater insight than normal people.

"Well, anyway, library's closing soon, so I hate to boot you out, but you're gonna have to leave." Iruka picked up the mouse from the floor and closed the newspaper article, then shut down the computer. "I hope you found what you wanted, about that guy. What was his name? Naraki?"

"Naruto," Sasuke corrected automatically. "Yeah, I found out what I needed. Thanks."

"Hey, it's no problem." Iruka smiled sadly. "Did you see anyone else come in here? No teenager around here would spend a glorious summer Sunday in a library."

Sasuke looked around, aware for the first time that the library had been unoccupied except for him this whole time. He picked up his satchel in preparation to leave, and pulled out his phone to check the time. "Why is the library closing at 2:30 in the afternoon?"

"It's Sunday," Iruka explained as he started shutting off lights. Sasuke quickly hurried to the main part of the library, not wanting to get in the way. "All business have shortened hours on a Sunday; it's a town law. What can I say, there's just too many backwoods religious nut jobs around here. At least we can open on Sunday's now; it used to be that everything went on lockdown except for churches."

No wanting to hear a history of religious nut jobs, Sasuke started edging toward the door, but Iruka stopped him with a shout.

"Hey, don't leave yet! I got something for ya." He grabbed a white card off his desk and thrust it into Sasuke's hands.

At the top, in a fancy font, were the words "Konoha Public Library". Under that was Sasuke's name and a five digit number. "What's this?"

"A library card. I don't usually give them to people who just come for the summer, but Kakashi insisted."

So that's what had been in the note. Sasuke gazed at the card, then shook his head and proffered it back to Iruka. "I'm sorry, but I really can't accept this."

"Of course you can." Iruka pushed his hand back. "Any avid reader is welcome here. And I can guarantee you'll like it here, because in Konoha Public Library, there are books you can find nowhere else. We have a collection of stories by local authors that remain unpublished, and the only copies that exist live inside this Library."

"Really?" Sasuke's curiosity was piqued against his will.

"Of course!" Iruka seized a novel from off a nearby bookcase and dumped it in Sasuke's arms. "Here, take one with you!"

Not knowing what else to say, Sasuke managed a weak, "Thank you."

Iruka flustered about him then, and for the second time that day, Sasuke found himself suddenly outside of a door, wondering how people in Konoha survived day to day life with such boisterous neighbors.

With a start, Sasuke realized that the book had just been a ploy to get him back to the library, one concocted by a lonely librarian. If he took it, he would have to return it. Without even looking at it, he thrust the book, with the card, into his satchel in annoyance and, turning on his heel, marched away from the library.

Two minutes later, Sasuke realized he was heading in the opposite direction from the Hokage. He kept going, however, not yet ready to relinquish the rest of his day to the indoors. Yesterday, in the car, Kakashi had mentioned something about nature trails this way, and Sasuke felt in dire need of some nature. The business with Naruto, on top of his frustration at his parents, was putting his mind in a turmoil that only green living things could straighten out.

Sasuke didn't find the nature trails, but he did come to a small park with a memorial stone erected in the center. The park was deserted, but well cared for, with a beautifully tended garden and a recently mowed lawn, and the memorial stone was clear of moss. Somehow, Sasuke felt a little like an outsider as he stepped onto the clipped grass, but the feeling was soon eclipsed by peace as he made his way further into the park. More calm than he had been since his parents had informed him of their decision to stay behind, Sasuke sat down on a bench to enjoy the serenity of the moment.

Too much of a perfectionist to let a moment slide idly by, Sasuke reached inside his satchel for the book he had brought, the one he was supposed to read for his summer assignment. It was open in his lap before he realized that it was much lighter than _A Tale of Two Cities_. Flipping it closed, he looked at the cover, which read _The Girl and the Stone_ , by Kage Bushin.

"Figures," Sasuke sighed. The book he had pulled out was the one Iruka had shoved in his hands. He had to admit, though, that it was quite a work of art. The cover was a detailed watercolor painting depicting a young girl lying in a bed of flowers next to a stone shaped suspiciously like a grave marker, and the book itself was beautifully hand-bound, though that was be expected of a one-of-a-kind tome. The pen name was clever, too: Kage Bushin, or Shadow Clone, for someone anonymously writing a novel.

"Why am I doing this?" Sasuke muttered to himself as he flipped the book open to the first page and started to read.

The next time Sasuke looked up from the book, it was almost sunset, and the clock on his phone said 5:43. Shaken from the story not by boredom but by hunger, Sasuke realized for the first time that the only thing he had eaten the whole day had been an apple, and his stomach was now loudly complaining of the fact. With a sigh of real regret, he closed the book and stowed it in his satchel, still partially caught in the world of the unnamed girl who took it upon herself to carve a message on her brother's gravestone.

Sasuke was a well-read self-proclaimed writing expert, and he could tell that this book was undiscovered gold. So simply, yet elegantly written, heavy with description and yet light overall, traveling down a plot road neither straight nor twisted, the book had sucked Sasuke in and refused to let him go. In fact, if his stomach hadn't protested, Sasuke might have stayed in that very same spot for another three hours, lost in the fictitious land.

But his stomach had protested, and so Sasuke set off back toward the Hokage, hoping the kitchen that had smelled so deliciously of pancakes in the morning also made dinner.

Sasuke wasn't disappointed, for when he pushed open the front door of the Hokage, the delectable smell of ham with honey glaze rushed out to meet him. Sniffing deeply, he allowed a contented smile to grace his face. _I could get used to this,_ Sasuke thought to himself. _No parents, amazing food, and the whole summer to do what I want._

A girlish giggle cut into his thoughts. "You're right, he is really hot."

"Shh!" A second voice shushed the first. "He'll hear you! Besides, he already knows me."

"You can't just call dibs like that!"

"I wasn't! I just wanted to let you know that _I'd_ be serving him dinner, because I met him already."

Sasuke felt his good mood evaporate like fine mist on a summer morning. Everywhere he went, he had to contend with this. Just because of his looks and the money his father had, girls had a tendency to freak out around him, and it bothered him to know end. Other than his powers, it was the reason he wasn't able to make friends. Well, those things and one other thing about himself that his parents still refused to believe.

With a fake smile plastered to his countenance, Sasuke turned in the direction of the voices. To his surprise and slight disappointment, one of the speakers was the pink haired girl who had given him the apple this morning; Sakura, if he remembered correctly. The other was a blond he didn't recognize. Sasuke had looked forward to seeing Sakura again, thinking her above such vapid reactions as fangirling, but apparently he had been wrong.

Catching sight of him looking in their direction, Sakura straightened her back, hauling on the other girl's arm with a very audible hiss of, "Be good!" before advancing on Sasuke.

"Hey, Sasuke! Did you have a good time at the library today?"

"Yes." It was the only answer that would satisfy her and not leave Sasuke with a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Good." Sakura gestured to the blond beside her. "I'd like you to meet my friend Ino. She works meals with me here at the Hokage, but she was on duty early this morning so she missed you."

Ino smiled daintily at Sasuke, offering a hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, Sasuke."

If Ino had one good point, it was that she had a firm handshake and was able to keep herself together at his touch. "Likewise, Miss Ino."

"There's no need to be so formal!" Ino said, though she did blushes at the added formality. "We work lead back here. We don't even have uniforms, see?"

Sure enough, the two girls were casually clad in shorts and flowy blouses. It didn't make Sasuke any more comfortable, though.

Sakura flipped her hair over her shoulder in a girlish fashion. "So, can we get you something, or is your stomach still on travel mode?"

"No, I'm hungry now." The words were barely out of his lips before the two girls each clasped their hands in identical delight before pushing him to an unoccupied table for two in the dining area.

"Do you have any allergies?" Ino asked as the two girls practically shoved Sasuke into the chair.

"I don't think so," he answered, a little off balance. Why was it that people in Konoha were so intent on pushing him around?

"Any particular dislikes?" Sakura asked.

Thrown a little by the question, he managed, "Junk food." The two girls stared at him. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just not something we get very often." They shared a glance before Sakura turned back to Sasuke. "Any favorites?"

That one was easy. "Tomatos."

Ino wrinkled her nose. "Really?"

"Ino!" Sakura gave her friend a not-too-gentle shove. "The kitchen is serving ham tonight, but we like to personalize every plate for our residents. It adds to the pleasant, homey atmosphere of the Hokage."

"Sounds... good," Sasuke managed, now understanding the nature of the questions but still a little perturbed the exuberance of the two girls.

"Excellent!" Ino grabbed Sakura's arm, and the two backed away from the table. "Your food will be out in a few minutes."

Sasuke shook his head as the girls disappeared into the kitchen, then took advantage of the moment to look around the dining area. The only other people sitting at the mismatched tables was a couple sitting at a table under the window and a family of three, a couple with a daughter, at a large round table in the center of the room. The girl couldn't have been more than four, and she was cheerfully scribbling on a placemat with crayons.

As Sasuke watched, Ino and Sakura brought plates to the family. Ino, having brought the adult's plates, quickly took her leave, but the little girl tugged on Sakura's sleeve.

"I don't like peas!"

"They're good for you," Sakura admonished.

The little girl pouted. "I still don't like 'em."

"But what did you tell me you did like?" Sakura asked with a smile.

"Pizza!"

"And what goes on pizza?"

"Um..." The girl thought a little. "Cheese!"

"That's right." Sakura picked up the girl's fork and stuck it in her peas. "And that's why I put some special spices and cheese on your peas, so they'll taste a little like pizza."

The child's eyes got a round as saucers. "Really?"

Sakura laughed. "Try some!"

Gleefully, the little girl stuffed some of the peas in her mouth, then exclaimed something unintelligible around the mouthful of food.

"You're welcome," Sakura answered before heading back to the kitchen.

Though he hated to admit it, Sasuke had been amused by the display. With a shake of his head, he pulled _The Girl and the Stone_ from his satchel and started reading while he waited for his food.

"Sasuke!"

Annoyed at being torn away from his book, Sasuke looked up to find Sakura in front of him, holding a plate of food.

"I've been standing here for a whole minute! You must be really into that book."

"It's good," he muttered as he closed it. Sakura placed his food in front of him, then, much to Sasuke's dismay, plopped down opposite him. "Aren't you on duty?"

"Do you see anyone else waiting for food?" It was true: everyone else in the dining area already had food. Sakura glanced around before lowering her voice. "Actually, I wanted to apologize. You heard us earlier, didn't you?"

Sasuke didn't know what say to that, so he just nodded. Perhaps his initial thoughts about Sakura had been right, after all.

Sakura winced. "God, that's embarrassing. Ino's kind've a boy freak, so I thought I'd warn her, then it just blew up in my face."

"I noticed," Sasuke commented dryly.

"Anyway, I just wanted you know that when I said I'd serve you, it wasn't me 'calling dibs' as Ino so bluntly put it. I thought you'd feel awkward if Ino started flirting with you, which she would. That's all."

Sakura was clearly waiting for some response, pulling on a lock of her hair nervously, so Sasuke graced her with a smile. "Naw, it's cool."

Her eyes lit up. "Really? We're good?"

"We're good," he confirmed.

"Thank god! I thought I was going to have to go the whole summer with that, and stuff would get super awkward."

Smiling and shaking his head at the delight caused so easily in the pink haired girl, Sasuke turned his attention to the food Sakura had brought him. There was the ham, but next to it, instead of the normal fare of potato and vegetable, was a salad. He frowned slightly, a little thrown off by the nontraditional side dish, until he noticed the thick slices of fresh tomato atop the salad. _We like to personalize every plate,_ Sakura had said. Sasuke was unable to keep a small smile from stealing to his lips.

"Oh my God, is this a Kage Bushin? I love him!" Sakura's voice abruptly shocked Sasuke out of his thoughts. She had grabbed his book and was looking at it. " _The Girl and the Stone_. Huh, I've never read this one, but I've read a lot of his other books. My favorite's _Entanglements of Destiny._ "

She read! He had someone to talk books with! Sasuke was ecstatic. "What's it about?"

"Forbidden love, but nothing so cliche as a Romeo and Juliet knockoff. It's completely original." Sakura examined the cover. "What's this one about? The stone looks a little like a gravestone."

"It is. It's about a girl that carves a message into her brother's gravestone after his death, even though it takes her a long time and her fingers bleed and everyone tells her to stop."

"Wow." Sakura placed the book back down on the table. "That's kind of dark."

Sasuke shrugged. "I like dark stuff. It makes you think, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but I can't read it very often or I get too many thoughts running around, and then I have to read something nice and light to clear my head." Sakura passed the book back across the table. "Well, I have to get back. Nice talking to you."

"You too." Sakura had gotten halfway across the room before Sasuke called after her. "Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you," Sasuke said, really meaning it.

A grin broke across her face. "Don't mention it."

And then she was gone, leaving Sasuke alone.

He ate while reading, sucked back into the realm of the book. When he left the dining area, he couldn't bare to put it down long enough to traverse the stairs, so he climbed them while holding the book open in front of his face. It was only at his bedroom door that he closed it, remembering for the first time since leaving the library his trouble with Naruto.

With bated breath, Sasuke pushed the door to his bedroom open, half expecting some prank to come crashing down on his head. At least now he knew it would be a harmless prank, rather than a life threatening one.

When no audible crash came, Sasuke strode into the bedroom, and stood in shock at what he found. The massive shadow explosion of this morning was gone, every article of clothing folded neatly and placed in still-open drawers. Sasuke felt hope sizzle in his heart; perhaps Naruto had decided to leave him alone, and he could have the normal vacation he wanted.

Quickly, Sasuke put on a pair of pajamas and texted a single line to his parents, telling them that he was fine and going to bed. When his phone rang a minute later, he shut it off, not wanting them to spoil his good mood.

Sasuke shut off the lights and, after climbing into bed, turned on a bedside lamp, picking up _The Girl and the Stone_ , determined to finish it before going to sleep. It was a short novel, and Sasuke was a fast reader, but it still took him several hours of emotional rollercoasters as he explored the soul of the girl trying to erect a memorial for her brother.

Close to midnight, Sasuke turned the final page, a few tears escaping from his eyes as he read of the girl refusing to leave her brother's grave when it was in danger of being destroyed, and how she perished atop his resting place, happier than could be imagined because she was going to be with her beloved brother at last.

The book shook in his grasp, and Sasuke was almost afraid to put it down, already decided that he needed to go back to the library the next day, no matter that he was playing directly into Iruka's hands. If the bait was this sweet, Sasuke would gladly sit in the trap the whole summer.

When he turned off the light, bright images of the girl still flashed behind Sasuke's eyelids, not dissipating even when sleep encroached upon him. The last thing that he thought before falling into an easy slumber, so unlike his sleep of the previous night, was that perhaps this vacation wasn't going to be so bad after all.


	5. Phantom Destiny

And another chapter up!

Thanks so much again to **wideyedwander**! You don't know how much you motivate me with your beautiful words!

And this is just a disclaimer for me, but before anyone wonders, yes, some of the events in Spectral Eyes will reflect canon, but not all. There is no pattern of reason behind it, just what fits with my plot best.

* * *

When Sasuke woke the next day, it was to a blond fiend paging through the book he had left on the bedside table, and any hope he might have had of avoiding Naruto vanished with a terrible inevitably, like that of the mast of a ship disappearing over the sea's horizon.

"Good morning," the ghost said cheerfully. "Whatcha gonna do today?"

By way of an answer, Sasuke rolled over in bed and pulled the cover over his head.

"Oh, come on! Don't be like that!" Naruto pulled the cover down again, floating a good two feet above Sasuke's head. "I wanna play!"

Sasuke sat up, fixing Naruto with a heated glare. "Let me make one thing clear to you: I may be able to see you, but that does not automatically make us friends. In fact, yours is a type of personality I can't stand. So, while I have the ability to converse with you, I would prefer not to. This being the case, I would _kindly_ ask you to leave my room right now!" By the end of this, he was shouting, and pointed to the door with a vehement action.

Several emotions flitted across Naruto's face, including shock and hurt, before he settled on anger and his eyes narrowed in challenge. "Then why did you remove the line of salt?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to answer, but stopped before speaking. Had he disposed of the salt the night before? He remembered disturbing it the morning before, but not throwing it away entirely. But, sure enough, when he looked at the door, the line was gone. Perhaps he had removed it absentmindedly while thinking of _The Girl and the Stone_. If so, it was an action he didn't wish to analyze the reason behind.

To save face, Sasuke squared his shoulders and answered Naruto's challenge with a glare of his own. "Because I knew it wouldn't make any difference, since that was what attracted you in the first place! Besides, yesterday I confirmed that you're a phantom, so I wouldn't have to worry about you attacking me in my sleep anyway."

Completely losing the challenge of earlier, Naruto cocked his head quizzically to one side. "What's a phantom?"

The way the ghost switched from emotion to emotion easier than most people changed their underwear unnerved Sasuke. "You're a ghost; you should know."

"But I don't."

The simple statement gave Sasuke pause. Even specters, for all their limited intelligence, understood the social hierarchy of the spiritual realm. Even though Konoha was noted for its excessive ghost sightings, Sasuke had yet to notice any spirits, other than a few figures, the spectral fisherman, and the menacing aura he had felt. Could it be that the reason for the activity was not, in fact, more ghosts, but the turning of the hierarchy on its head?

Curious in spite of himself, Sasuke couldn't help but ask, "Do you know what a specter is?"

Naruto shook his head.

"A figure?"

Another shake.

"A draugr?"

Another shake.

"You do understand that you're dead?" Sasuke asked with a sinking suspicion.

"Of course I know I'm dead!" Naruto folded his arms across his chest in a cross manner. "I'm not a moron, you know."

"Could've fooled me," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

A shoe hurtled past his head and hit the headboard, even though Naruto was standing still, hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I heard that."

"Whatever."

Sasuke threw the covers back and crawled out of the bed, cringing slightly when his toes encountered the wood floor. It was already June, but the floor still got chilly at night. Floating directly in his path, Naruto once again folded his arms across his chest. "So, are you gonna tell me, or what?"

"Tell you what?" Sasuke tried to walk through Naruto, but he made himself corporeal at the last second, and all Sasuke got for his efforts was cracking his forehead against the floating ghost's jaw.

"About the specters, and the figurines, and whatever!" An affronted look crept into Naruto's gaze. "You can't just dangle that in front of me and then walk away! I want to know!"

Feeling a little like an elementary school teacher heading a particularly stubborn child, Sasuke sat down in the chair and combed a hand through his hair. "Fine. But pay attention, because I'll only say it once."

Naruto immediately sat down cross-legged on the floor, eyes glued attentively to Sasuke, who cleared his throat before speaking. "The three main kinds of ghosts are specters, figures, and draugrs. There's many nuances behind the classifications of each, but the shortened version is that specters haunt a place they lived or worked in, and barely have the mental ability to function as a human would, figures haunt the place where their body lies, and they have about the same mental functions as they did when they were human, and draugrs haunt the place they died, and they have advanced powers like telekinesis and corporeality because of the grudge they harbor against their death. The only dangerous kind is the draugr, and that's because they were often victims of murder, and that's why they're attached to where they died."

Naruto frowned. "But you said I was a phantom. Where does that fit in?"

Fixing his pupil with a glare, Sasuke asked bitingly, "Can't you wait for me to finish?"

To his surprise, Naruto actually flushed. "Sorry."

Feeling slightly guilty, Sasuke continued. "Now, as I was saying, there's those three main types. As far as social order goes, the draugrs are pretty much at the top, because they're the most powerful, then figures, then specters. Phantoms are technically considered a subcategory of specter, because they haunt where they lived or worked, but they have characteristics of the other two types of ghost as well: from the figures, their mental ability, and from the draugrs, their spectral powers."

"If they have characteristics of all three, where do they fit in the hierarchy?"

Sasuke hesitated a bit before answering. "They're very rare, so you're the first one I've actually met. I don't know for sure, but I would guess about equal to draugrs."

Forehead scrunched in thought, Naruto asked, "How rare?"

"About one in ten or twenty thousand."

Naruto jumped up and let out whoop. "Does that mean I'm special? Like, super special?"

"If you want to think of it that way." Sasuke shook his head at the antics of the mischievous ghost. "But you've lived as a phantom for over a century already, I doubt anything I can tell you will make any difference. Just keep doing what you've been doing, and-"

In a change of character so fast Sasuke couldn't have predicted it if paid to, Naruto abruptly seized Sasuke's collar, cutting him off. "How do you know how old I am?"

"What?"

"How did you find out how old I am?" He shook Sasuke vigorously, making his teeth rattle. "No one's supposed to know that! Who told you?"

"I found out myself!" Sasuke finally managed to spit out. The shaking stopped, but Naruto still looked at him with mistrust. "I looked you up in the library yesterday. I found a picture, and worked from there."

Naruto's eyes widened. "There's a picture of me? How old was I?"

"Maybe ten or so? It's hard to tell, since the picture was so old."

Letting go of Sasuke's collar, Naruto sank down on the floor. In a whisper, he admitted, "I'm surprised they didn't burn it."

"Why?"

"Uzumaki." Naruto said it like curse. "That fucking name. It's haunting me, even after death."

Sasuke frowned, not following the logic. "What's your last name got to do with anything?"

"The fox fortune," Naruto explained bitterly. "A few generations before me, the Uzumakis owned an island off the coast where they raised foxes for their pelts. They were filthy rich, and had a reputation to match, but they lost everything when my grandfather died in a fire on the island, one that also killed all the foxes. My mother was the last one, but according to family law, an Uzumaki can never change his or her name, so when she married, she had to keep it, and it had to be given to me as well, when I was born. Even though she lived here, we couldn't shake the reputation that came with the name. The people even rejoiced when we died, and to this day anyone born and raised in this town who finds out that I'm still around tries to get rid of me."

"Does anyone know?"

"Not right now, no," Naruto admitted, "But in the past there have been a few who figured it out. That's why I freaked out when you said how old I was, because it's only a few steps from there to suspecting my identity."

Sasuke didn't quite know what to say. Naruto's backstory was just as tragic as his own issues, except the ghost's had been haunting him for over a century. Just as he was starting to feel sorry for Naruto, the prankster ghost stood up performed a midair flip. "But that doesn't matter, because you're not going to tell anyone, right?"

"Jesus, this is why I can't stand people like you!" Sasuke slammed a hand down on his desk, anger suddenly boiling through his veins, hot and thick. "You switch faces faster than a snake sheds skin, flipping through facades like it's a game! Are you doing it on purpose, or are you just that stupid? Can't you stand still long enough for me to understand you?"

The question hung in the air, unanswered by the shock and hurt shown on Naruto's face. "But…"

"It doesn't matter." Nerves shot, Sasuke laid his head down in his hands so he didn't have to see that bruised look in Naruto's eyes. "Just get out."

Sasuke didn't hear him go, but when he looked up again, Naruto was gone. A heavy weight centered itself in his chest and refused to budge, however much he tried to will it away.

He was an Uchiha, goddammit! And Uchihas didn't feel sorry for ghosts, or talk to them, or even think about harboring the desire to become friends with them. A phantom was outside his area of expertise, but Sasuke had sworn he would do his job as an Uchiha, helping ghosts that were ready pass on, while enjoying his vacation. And that was final.

Quickly, Sasuke got ready for the day and repacked his satchel, gently laying _The Girl and the Stone_ on top and trying to think about how Naruto had paged through it earlier. With a bitter taste in his mouth, he went downstairs, and, feeling too sick to eat, walked out the door in the direction of the library.

By the time Konoha Public Library came into sight, Sasuke felt better, strengthened by the walk and the time not spent dwelling on Naruto. Through the window, he could see Iruka working diligently on something at his desk before he pushed open the door.

Iruka looked up at the tinkle of the bell when Sasuke pushed the door open, and laughed when he saw who it was.

"Back already?"

"You knew I would be," Sasuke accused as he pulled The Girl and the Stone from his satchel and placed in on Iruka's desk. "That's why you gave this masterpiece of literary genius to me."

"And it worked, didn't it?" Iruka asked with a laugh, picking up the book and placing it on a cart labeled To Shelve. "How late did you stay up reading it?"

"Midnight," Sasuke admitted.

Iruka whistled in admiration. "That early, huh? You must be a pretty fast reader. The last kid I gave it to stayed up until three in the morning to finish it. Did it make you cry?"

Sasuke hunched his shoulders, affronted and a little embarrassed. "Of course not!"

"Hm." Iruka's eyes twinkled in a manner that said, you don't fool me. "You want another?"

Relief that the teasing had ended washed through Sasuke. "Yes, please."

Just then Iruka's phone went off, and he glanced at it. "The shelf for original work's that way," he dictated distractedly, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "I have to take this, so you'll have to get it yourself."

The abrupt dismissal caught Sasuke off guard, but in a guilty sort of way, since he preferred to do these things himself anyway. Iruka answered the phone, so Sasuke moved away, taking the hint that the discussion was over. With careful slept so as not to disturb the librarian, he made his way to the shelf pointed out to him earlier.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared that all the original works had been submitted under pen names, not just Kage Bushin, and while the author of The Girl and the Stone certainly had a large section to himself, comprising of ten novellas and two full length novels, including the one Sasuke had already read, he wasn't the largest supplier. That honor went to someone calling himself Rasengan, who had contributed four compilations of short stories, six novels, fifteen novellas, and, strangely, a compilation of one-act plays and a book of poems. Another author named Chidori was also vying for the top spot, with three books of poetry, seven novellas, and a book of short stories.

The range of material was wide and carried, including the norms Sasuke had already noted, but branching out into other forms of literature. One author, under the name of Shintenshin, had written five full-length, multi-act plays in a Shakespearean style. Next to the plays were a few graphic novels and a history of the beginnings of Konoha told in the style of an epic ballad, with the meter and alliteration of the early Anglo-Saxon Era. There was even a short story illuminated with ink, the way ancient tomes were.

"So, which one are ya gettin'?"

The voice speaking behind him so abruptly caused Sasuke to jump, almost dropping the illuminated book. Turning, he found Naruto floating there, hands folded behind his head and a grin of chilling proportions starching across his face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Sasuke?" From the other side of the library, Iruka finished with his call and looked over in concern. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke hollered back. In a quieter voice, he hissed to Naruto, "I thought I told you to leave me alone!"

"And I didn't listen." Naruto stuck his tongue out impudently. "I believe this is what people call a 'haunting'. Most don't take it on voluntarily, you know."

Ah, Sasuke thought. If that was the case, al he had to do was ignore Naruto, and eventually he would get bored and move on. He turned to the bookshelf, studiously avoiding any eye contact with the ghost.

"And don't think that ignoring me will make me go away, 'cause it won't. I'm really strong, remember, stronger than a human, and I'm not opposed to using force to get what I want."

Damn. If Naruto did use force, Sasuke was skilled enough to stop him, he was sure of that, but not without a huge commotion that would draw a lot of notice, which was something Sasuke was unwilling to do; he counted his secrecy among his most prized possessions. Naruto had gotten him.

"What do you want?" He asked with a sigh, unwillingly admitting defeat.

Naruto moved up to stand beside Sasuke, trailing a hand along the spines of the shelved books. "Nothing much. I just want you to talk to some people."

"People, or ghosts?"

"Ghosts," Naruto clarified. "I want you to tell them what you told me this morning, about the specters and phantoms and stuff."

Great. More ghosts. "Can't you tell them yourself?"

"Nah, they'd never believe me. I mean, a human who knows more about ghosts than a ghost himself does? As much as I hate to say it, you really are special, Sasuke."

The backhanded compliment did nothing to dampen Sasuke's annoyance. "All I have to do is talk to them, and then you'll leave me alone?"

"It's a promise." Naruto stuck out his hand to shake. "Do we have a deal?"

Sasuke stood for a long moment, considering the hand. Part of his brain was telling him to accept, that he could have a normal vacation after this, while the other part warned him that if he did this, Naruto's world would suck him in and never let go. It was still another part of him, a tiny fraction of his heart, that tipped the balance; the piece wanted to get to know Naruto, to strip away all the masks and see the person underneath.

"Alright." Sasuke held out his hand, ignoring the triumphant flash in Naruto's eye, and the two shook hands firmly.

"What are you doing?" Iruka's voice behind Sasuke made him jump. What was it about people sneaking up on him in this town?

"Sorry." Sasuke flashed what he hoped was a winning smile and grabbed a book at random from the shelf. "I was just thinking aloud."

Iruka didn't look convinced, but let it pass, and Sasuke almost dropped to the floor in relief. "Did you find one to check out?"

"Yes," Sasuke answered, even though he didn't know what book he had in his hand.

"He's sleeping with Kakashi," Naruto announced to no one in particular, though Sasuke was the only one who could hear him.

The abrupt declaration caused Sasuke's eyes to widen as he tried to hide his surprise from the librarian.

"And don't ask how I know. Believe me, it's not something you want to hear."

Iruka, completely oblivious to the one-sided conversation going on in front of him, steered Sasuke toward the front desk, where he checked out the book while Naruto kept talking. "It was really strange how it happened, too. I mean, they don't seem like they'd be alike, but I guess they make it work somehow."

Politely thanking Iruka, Sasuke headed out the door. When the door closed and he was out of earshot of the librarian, Sasuke rounded on Naruto. "You can't just drop a bomb on me like that in front of someone! What if I had let slip that you were there?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not my problem; it's a ghost town, and you're the freak here. Besides," and his eyes narrowed here, "I thought it would be useful for you to know, since he's been reporting back to Kakashi what you've been doing here."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's on the phone with him now."

Sasuke turned to look back through the window, and indeed saw Iruka on the phone with someone. Feeling a strange chill, he looked down for the first time at the book Iruka had check out to him. _Entanglements of Destiny_ , by Kage Bushin. A smile played at the corners of Sasuke's lips as he put the book in his satchel; destiny, it seemed, did have a funny way of showing up in the least expected places.

Latching on to his arm, Naruto started to pull. "Come on, you promised you'd come with me!"

"I did," Sasuke admitted, starting to wish he hadn't agreed to the deal as the two set of at a breakneck speed, Naruto floating along and pulling the disgruntled Uchiha along behind him.

"Slow down," Sasuke panted. "I can't keep up like this!"

Naruto slowed, but only slightly. "We're close already! Just keep going."

It was true; Naruto slowed to a halt in less than a minute. A small house, more of a shack, really, sat by the side of the road, and Naruto floated up to it. Sasuke tried the handle, but it didn't budge.

"Slight problem," Sasuke intoned.

"What's that?"

Pointing to his body, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Flesh and blood here."

"Oh!" Naruto blushed, and Sasuke found himself staring at the color in fascination. "I'll get it open for you."

He passed through the locked door while Sasuke waited outside, listening to the scraping sounds of a lock being turned. Finally, the door popped open, just in time to hear a complaint from another inhabitant.

"Naruto, why'd you open the door?"

"We have a guest today, Kiba," Naruto answered, and beckoned Sasuke forward.

Inside the room was a flurry of ghostly activity that ground to a halt as soon as Sasuke stepped through the doorway. The central spirit, a boy with strange red marks on his cheeks, appeared to be the one who had spoken before, and he was holding a ball for a small, white, very alive dog to play with. A boy with dark glasses and clothes that covered his entire body stood over him in a protective manner which turned more threatening when he saw Sasuke. In one corner, another boy with spiky hair swept back into a ponytail appeared to be playing a very intense game of chess against himself, and in another, a boy in a ugly green spandex leotard was aiming kicks at a punching bag.

Even though Naruto was the first phantom Sasuke had met, he had become familiar enough with the pattern of his spiritual energy that he could recognize it, and the auras rolling the four boys were unmistakable.

 _Aw, shit. How the Hell are there five phantoms in Konoha?_


	6. The Konoha Phantoms

Hey guys!

I love the support I'm getting for this story! **Wideyedwander** , that was one of my favorite lines to write too! And for you and **Dr** **eaming of Rocketships** ,you'll have to wait and see what Kakashi and Iruka are up to, but I promise it'll be good!

A little bit of an author's notice: I will be in opening night of a show on Thursday, so I will literally have no computer access all day. That being said, I'm going to try to get the next chapter up Wednesday, and if not, it will be up Friday. The rest of the scud duke will not be affected, just that one day.

* * *

Even though Naruto was the first phantom Sasuke had met, he had become familiar enough with the pattern of his spiritual energy that he could recognize it, and the auras rolling the four boys were unmistakable.

 _Aw, shit. How the Hell are there five phantoms in Konoha?_

As if to mock him, the phantoms gave Sasuke a quick glance, then turned back to their tasks, completely ignoring him.

"Why'd ya bring a human here?" The one in the center of the room with the dog spoke again, who Naruto had addressed as Kiba.

"That's a good question!" Sasuke snapped, anger spiking. "But I have a better one. Maybe you could ask the human what he's doing here instead?"

Four pairs of shocked ghostly eyes turned to him. The phantom in the corner with the punching bag pointed at him, trembling. "You can hear us?"

"Yes," Sasuke answered, trying and failing to keep a rein on his anger. God, he hated ghosts. Curse whatever being had decided to give him this 'gift'!

"Can you see us?"

Sasuke's control finally snapped. "Why the fuck wouldn't I be able to see you? Jesus, this is why I can't stand ghosts!" He turned to leave. "I don't care anymore; I can't do this."

"No!" Naruto grabbed his arm, bringing him up short. Sasuke glared at him, but it didn't deter the determined spirit. "You promised you would talk to them!"

The one with the sunglasses looked up in interest. "About what?"

"He's, like, an expert on ghosts," Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "He told me some things that even I didn't know!"

"I don't believe that," the sunglassed ghost scoffed. "A human can't know more about ghosts than a ghost does. It's impossible."

"Tell that to the generations of research done by my family," Sasuke snapped. He might hate his heritage, but he still had the pride of an Uchiha. "I know more about ghosts than a spirit who could live a thousand years, because that's how long my family has been the mediators between your world and mine!"

The phantoms all fell silent at this outburst. Naruto awkwardly stepped forward in an attempt to keep the peace. "Why don't we just all introduce ourselves and go from there? Kiba? Shino?"

For a few seconds, Sasuke thought the phantoms were going to remain silent, but finally the one with the dog spoke up. "Well, Akamaru hasn't attacked him yet, so I guess he's okay."

Sasuke was barely able to hold back a biting thank you.

Following the lead of the dog phantom, the one with sunglasses slowly nodded. "I, too, feel he is trustworthy."

Glad of that vote of confidence.

"My name's Kiba." The boy with the dog stood up and extended a hand for Sasuke to shake. "And the white fiend here's Akamaru."

"Delighted," Sasuke managed, still slightly annoyed.

"And I'm Shino." Shino's dark glasses caught the light as he shook Sasuke's hand. "The one in the corner with his mouth hanging open is Lee, and the one who has been studiously ignoring us this whole time is Shikamaru."

During their introductions, Lee blushed and punched his bag, and Shikamaru stared studiously at his chess board, then purposefully picked up a piece and moved it. He stood up and walked to the other side of the board, then sat down and resumed staring at it.

"Are they always like that?"

Naruto shrugged. "In Shikamaru's case, yes, but Lee's just nervous because you're the first human he's met. We've all made contact with at least one other, but Lee's the youngest of us, so he doesn't have much experience yet."

"I'd shake your hand, but I can't yet," Lee said with a red face. "I can't become corporeal like the rest of them, so I'll just wave." He did so, and Sasuke waved back, feeling a little silly.

It was now Sasuke's turn, and he pulled in a deep breath. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha-"

"Hi, Sasuke," the phantoms chorused, interrupting Sasuke and leaving him with the feeling that he was teaching a rowdy kindergarten class, which was reinforced when Naruto sat down before him and everyone else except Shikamaru followed suit. Shikamaru just kept staring at his chessboard.

Shaking himself a little before continuing, Sasuke said, "Anyway, as you've already gathered, I can see ghosts. It's a family bloodline trait. Because of this, I have a lot of experience with spirits of all kinds. Naruto asked me here to tell you something I told him this morning, because he felt like it would be better to hear it in person than have him retell it."

Even Shikamaru was looking at him now, so Sasuke took a deep breath and launched into an explanation of the social hierarchy of the spiritual realm. He took more time and put in more details than he had that morning, trying to be as clear as possible. Kiba was petting Akamaru with a frown on his face, but otherwise the phantoms remained inscrutable. The lack of response was unnerving Sasuke, but he continued, voice growing hoarse, until he felt that everything was explained to the best of his ability.

Silence greeted the end of his speech. Shino was the one who finally broke it. "That… actually makes sense."

"It does." Kiba's frown furrowed between his eyebrows as he thought. "I always wondered why some ghosts were kinda like vegetables, and others were more like us."

"And the mean ones must be draugrs," Shino hypothesized. "If they really were murder victims, then their behavior makes a lot more sense."

A chill swept down Sasuke's back. "Are there many 'mean ones' here?"

Naruto shrugged. "About seven we've identified that haunt in one place and we avoid. There's another batch, maybe another five, that all stay in one building, but they give off such a bad aura that we don't go there, so I don't know if they would be draugrs or not."

And there went Sasuke's sense of security. One draugr he had expected, but seven? That was unprecedented ghost activity! It was true that draugrs lived long lives, but that was only if they didn't exact a revenge. If they did, they often disappeared within a decade, or less. Seven unresolved murders was disconcerting, to say the least. It made Sasuke wonder how good the police department was in Konoha.

Naruto hadn't stopped talking, so Sasuke shook himself out of his thoughts to listen. "They're all older than me, too, so I don't know exactly how they died. If I did, maybe we could confirm if they're draugrs or not."

"Wait." Sasuke felt, for the first time since stepping off the train in Konoha, a real thrill of fear. "The draugrs are all older than you? Naruto, aren't you over a century old?"

"I am," Naruto admitted with a sigh. "But I'm sure that at least one is over two hundred. I saw her once, and she wears this weird, old-looking dress-"

"Jesus!" Sasuke couldn't contain the cry, and all the phantoms' heads swiveled towards him. "What the Hell is wrong with this town?"

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked nervously, hugging Akamaru close to his body, who licked his face comfortingly.

Sasuke passed a hand over his eyes. "Five phantoms, two-hundred-year-old draugrs- These things aren't normal! What is it about Konoha that sparks such spiritual activity?"

"Hey, don't ask us." Shino's crossed his arms. "We're just the ghosts who live here."

"And, um, I actually have a question." Lee spoke for the first time, raising a hand like a timid kindergartener. "I don't think you should include me in the phantom count."

"Why not?"

Blushing, Lee fiddled with the collar of his green spandex suit. "I, um, can't do stuff like what you said. No powers or anything. The only thing I can do is push a little energy around my feet and hands to hit things."

Sasuke considered for a moment. "How long ago did you die, Lee?"

"About fifteen years now, I think."

"There's your answer." It was strange to think of himself comforting a ghost, but Sasuke found he was doing exactly that. "Phantoms have the same powers as a draugr, but since their motives aren't fueled by revenge, as a draugr's are, often they take more time to grow into their powers. You're a phantom, Lee, and not because of your powers, but because of your mind and personality."

Lee perked up at that, and Naruto gave Sasuke a smile of thanks, apparently glad that a sore spot for this friend had been cleared up. Sasuke chose not to dwell on how that smile made his stomach take a small nosedive, like he was riding on a rollercoaster.

"I have a question, too." Shikamaru spoke for the first time, but didn't look up from his game. "What is 'not normal' about an old ghost?"

The question surprised Sasuke; the answer was so obvious, it felt almost like a test. "Ghosts fade."

"Pardon?"

"Ghosts fade," Sasuke repeated. "They disappear; that's what happens when they get too old and no longer have an attachment to this world."

Shikamaru gave Sasuke his full attention then, and a frown furrowed between his brows. "How old usually the age of this 'fading'?"

"Thirty for specters, fifty for figures, and sometimes seventy-five or a little more for draugrs. I don't know exactly about phantoms since they're so rare, but I would guess they would have about the same lifespan as a draugr."

"Interesting." Shikamaru steepled his hands together in a strange formation. "I've lived in this town as a ghost for approximately one hundred years, and every other ghost I've encountered during that time is still around."

Something invisible stuck itself in the back of Sasuke's throat. "Are you certain?"

Shikamaru blinked once before replying. "Absolutely positive."

This was not good. As an Uchiha, Sasuke knew that laying spirits to rest was a very important task. If not performed, spiritual energy could clump up and cause problems to humans living in the same area. If not a single ghost had faded in over a hundred years-! Sasuke shuddered to think of the implications.

Naruto broke the sudden silence. "Hey, Sasuke, maybe we could bring you around and let you meet some of the old ghosts! You could ask them stuff, and-"

"No," Sasuke interrupted angrily. "You just wanted me to talk to your friends. I did that, so we're done. You swore that you'd leave me alone after this!"

Naruto tried unsuccessfully to hide the hurt in his gaze, which made Sasuke feel like an ass, even if he was in the right. "But-"

"No buts!" Wrapping the shreds of his dignity and morals around him, Sasuke stood up straight, not giving in. "I spend every waking minute of my life around ghosts! I hate this curse I was born with, but I've learned to live with it. I've grown accustomed to hiding from it, and I am not going to do something that defeats that purpose! I've held up my end of the bargain, now you hold up yours, and leave me alone!"

Four sets of shocked eyes stared at him, motionless and hurt. Even Shikamaru gazed at him with a kind of detached anger as he telepathically moved the piece from the opposite side of the one he was sitting on, locking himself into a checkmate.

"You distracted me," he accused. "You made me lose to myself. I never lose to myself."

Somehow, those words cut deeper than the stares of the others, except perhaps Naruto's. Anger fanned within Sasuke, both at the ghosts and at his reactions to them. They were just spirits, godammit!

Without another word, Sasuke snatched his satchel from the floor and stalked out of the shack. He had to harden his heart to to silence behind him, and that bothered him more than the actual guilt he felt. Uchihas did not care for ghosts, period. Even the slight guilt felt like a betrayal of his heritage.

Angry at himself now, Sasuke stalked back to the Hokage. When he arrived, the clock in the hallway read close three, and Sasuke was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that he had skipped breakfast. Had he really spent that much time at the library? No, he had lost the time with those damn phantoms. Sasuke comforted himself with the thought that they would leave him alone now. Or, he at least pretended to comfort himself with the thought.

It was too early for the kitchen to start serving supper, so Sasuke decided to wait in his room and read until that time. He had barely traversed a few steps, however, before a sense of foreboding overtook him.

There was a powerful aura resting in his room upstairs, and Sasuke found himself pissed beyond belief. Blood thundering in his ears, he darted up the stairs, ran into his suite, then yanked open the door to his room, yelling, "I told you to leave me alone!"

To his surprise, it was not Naruto in his room, but Shikamaru. The spirit who had seemed the least interested in him earlier was waiting for him, seated on the rug, a chess board set out before him. His visage was different, a slightly older version of himself that gave him an increased level of quiet authority, and Sasuke couldn't help but respect him in a grudging way.

Shikamaru ignored Sasuke's earlier raised voice, responding with a simple, "Play a game with me?"

Shutting the door behind him, Sasuke dropped his satchel on the desk before turning to Shikamaru, who had remained motionless the entire time, with his arms folded across his chest. "Why?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes, a bored expression on his face. "Too troublesome to explain."

Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke reiterated, "Troublesome?"

A noncommittal grunt emanated from the motionless ghost. Cracking a single eye open, Shikamaru inquired, moving his lips as little as possible, "You gonna sit down?"

A sigh escaped Sasuke. "You're not going to leave until I do, are you?"

By way of an answer, Shikamaru remained unresponsive, eyes closed and arms folded across his chest. Sasuke sighed again; he had wanted to start reading _Entanglements of Destiny,_ but it looked like Shikamaru had him cornered: there was no way he could out-patience a ghost who had already lived a hundred years. It was the second time that day he had been bested by a Konoha spirit, though in a completely different way, and Sasuke certainly didn't like it.

When Sasuke sat down on the opposite side of the chessboard, Shikamaru's only response was a curt order. "White moves first."

It was true; the side Sasuke had sat down before comprised of white pieces. It had been the open side, so that meant Shikamaru had chosen black for himself specifically. If he was any kind of good chess player, he should know that it was statistically more likely to win with white, and thus had purposefully given that side to Sasuke. This either meant Shikamaru was trying to go easy on the human or make the game more challenging for himself. Either way, the affronted Sasuke swore to himself that he wouldn't lose to the indifferent phantom.

With a sharp clack, he moved a pawn forward two spaces. Not even bothering to move his hands, Shikamaru used telepathy to move a pawn forward, mirroring Sasuke's move.

"Not even going to move your hands?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

"Too troublesome."

The move Shikamaru had taken placed his piece directly in a position for Sasuke to claim it. Sasuke hesitated for a second; the phantom couldn't be that stupid, he had to have some sort of plan. He claimed the pawn and set it off to the side.

"What are you doing here in Konoha?"

Sasuke look up at the sudden question. "What?"

Closing his eyes, Shikamaru muttered in a voice barely loud enough to carry, "Too troublesome to mention earlier, but it's a special game. Every time you capture a piece, you have to answer a question."

Damn, so that was his game! Sasuke prepared himself to lie, but Shikamaru cut him off. "And don't even think about lying. I'll know when you do."

This was perhaps the most dangerous game of chess Sasuke had ever played.

"Do you understand now, Uchiha?"

"Yes," Sasuke managed, his throat dry.

"Good. Now answer the question. Why are you in Konoha?"

"Family vacation."

"Hm." Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "By yourself."

"A single question," Sasuke reminded him. "It's your move, Shikamaru."

"So it is," the phantom mused, idly letting his eyes wander across the line of pieces before moving another with his mind.

The two moved back and forth, neither wanting to capture a piece. In less than ten moves, however, Shikamaru spoke again.

"Check."

It was indeed a check, and it had completely slipped past Sasuke's notice. With a curse, he took the piece threatening his King.

"Why are you alone?"

"My parents backed out at the last minute."

"Hm." Shikamaru considered the board for a minute, then moved another piece. "Check."

Sasuke's jaw dropped open. How had he missed that one, too? Blue language fell from his mouth as he took the piece.

"Why did your parents back out?"

Sasuke hesitated before answering. "My older brother is in a psychiatric ward and suddenly got worse, so they stayed to keep an eye on him."

Nodding, Shikamaru said without interest, "Interesting. Check."

"Fuck you."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Language. And it's still a check."

Giving in, Sasuke took the piece and resigned himself to the interrogation.

"Why's your brother in a psychiatric ward?"

"His 'gift' drove him mad, and he tried to blind me and succeeded in blinding himself. He's there for his own protection and the protection of those around him." Even to Sasuke, the answer sounded robotic.

"Interesting." This time it was said with interest. "That's why you hate your ability to see ghosts."

"Only one question per capture," Sasuke reminded him.

Shikamaru gave a light short. "It wasn't a question. It was an assumption that was proven correct by your reaction. Oh, and check."

With a sigh, Sasuke took the piece.

"What does your father want you to be when you grow up?"

The abrupt change of tactic caught Sasuke off guard. "A doctor, or a lawyer. He owns a hospital, and he wants me to take over it."

A smile crept onto Shikamaru's lips. "You just answered two questions."

Flushing, Sasuke said, "Just move."

"Alright. Check."

Sasuke took the piece, wondering how Shikamaru was winning and had yet to make a single capture.

"What do you want to be?"

"An author." The abrupt question dragged the confession out of him, and Sasuke immediately looked around, nervous that he had been overheard. It was a secret dream, and one he could never let his father know.

Another piece slid into place. "Check."

Sasuke threw his hands into the air. "Why don't you just ask me the questions? You're obviously going to-"

"Check," Shikamaru enunciated very clearly, eyes narrowing.

Sasuke hurriedly took the piece.

"Why do you want to be an author?"

Hesitating, not because he was nervous, but because he wasn't quite sure how to articulate his emotions, Sasuke slowly said, "I've always loved literature, and I like the idea of creating something better than arguing in a court or making endless memos. It's quiet, restful, which is very different from my life now. And I could live out from under the thumb of my father, who only sees me as a less successful version of my brother."

Shikamaru moved another piece, using his hands for the first time during the game. "Checkmate."

Sasuke started to get up, but a look from Shikamaru stopped him. With a sigh, he sat back down and captured the piece.

"What are your intentions toward Naruto?"

"What?" The question caught Sasuke off guard. Intentions? Toward that annoying, mischievous ghost? He didn't have any. Did he?

Shikamaru repeated the question. "What are your intentions toward Naruto?"

"I don't have any! I told him to leave me alone, remember?"

The phantom's eyes narrowed dangerously, the first sign of aggression from the passive ghost. "I thought I told you not to lie."

"I'm not!"

"Then you're lying to yourself. What do you really want from him?"

The assertion was as disconcerting as it was surprising. Sasuke looked down, refusing to meet Shikamaru's gaze. "It doesn't matter what I really want, because I'm going to avoid him."

"Do you desire any kind of bond with him?"

Sasuke shook his head, confused by all the questions. "I'm an Uchiha; we don't develop bonds with spirits, no matter the type."

Slowly nodding, Shikamaru's eyes lit up with understanding. It was the first vibrant emotion Sasuke had seen on his face. "I understand now."

"What?" Sasuke felt a strange chill. "What do you understand?"

"Nothing of importance." Shikamaru moved his piece, taking Sasuke's King and ending the game, then looking expectantly at Sasuke.

"What?"

"You question? I captured a piece, after all."

"Ah." Sasuke opened his mouth to ask a sensible question, but what popped out was, "What's it like to live like you do?"

"What's it like to be dead, you mean?" Shikamaru shrugged. "In a single word, monotonous. Quite honestly, you're the most exciting thing that's happened to us since Lee died. I haven't seen Naruto as happy as when he dragged you through the door in a long time."

Now Sasuke felt like even more of an ass. Still, he wrapped his Uchiha pride around his bruised soul, and it made him feel better to look down on what caused him the discomfort. Throughout this, Shikamaru watched him, gleaning insight from his changing face, from emotional back into stoic.

Finally, Shikamaru broke the silence. "It's time for the kitchen to serve dinner."

And it was; the big clock in the hall chimed five as they listened to it. Sasuke stood up to go, but Shikamaru reached up to grab his sleeve, the most movement he had made since Sasuke had laid eyes on him.

"The beach is lovely at sunset, and today is particularly clear. It would be nice to see, don't you think?"

Sasuke thought it over, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Will you be going?"

"Nah." Shikamaru let go of his sleeve. "Too troublesome. I only go when there's good clouds, so I can watch them."

"I'll think about it." Sasuke grabbed his satchel and turned to go, and was almost out the door before Shikamaru called out behind him without raising his voice.

"Thanks for playing with me. You were a good opponent."

Sasuke snorted, his Uchiha pride again bruised. "You beat me. Spectacularly, at that."

"And yet, you still continued to play. You are a good opponent, Sasuke."

There was only one response Sasuke could think of. "Thank you."

And then he walked out, going downstairs to sit in the dining area.

This time, Sasuke was barely seated for a minute before Sakura came out carrying two plates. With a blinding smile, she set one down before him, and the other she placed opposite him and sat down.

"Have a good day?"

"Not particularly." Sasuke grimaced. "Are you allowed to be doing this?"

"What? Eating out here?" Sakura waved around the empty dining area. "Today's Monday. Unofficial seafood day here in Konoha. All the local places have deals on fresh stuff, so almost everyone eats elsewhere tonight. You're the only one I was expecting."

"Ah." Now Sasuke felt bad, that Sakura was serving only him. When he said as much, though, she just laughed it off.

"What else would I have done today?" She asked with a brilliant smile. "Now, eat, before it gets cold."

The food was delicious, Sasuke could say that much. While he was eating, though, he noticed Sakura picking nervously at her food.

"What's wrong?"

Sakura jumped guiltily. "Nothing! I was just thinking about something."

Shrugging, Sasuke resumed eating. "Alright."

Abruptly, Sakura laid down her fork with a clatter. "Sasuke!"

"What?" He asked testily. Damn girls, always changing their minds.

"There's going to be an event going on tomorrow, and a lot of us local teens are going, and I was wondering if maybe youwantedtogowithus?" The last words came out all in a rush.

"What?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "Do you want to go with us? The event's kinda silly, you know, with the ghost theme of this town and everything, but I thought maybe you'd like to meet some new people…" She trailed off, uncertain.

After considering for a moment, Sasuke nodded. "Sure. Sounds good to me." What the hell. He was only eighteen without parental supervision once.

Sakura brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah. Sounds like fun."

"Excellent!" She clasped her hands together. "I can't wait to tell everyone! They'll be so excited to meet you, I just know it!"

Aha. Now Sasuke was beginning to regret his impulsive decision. Finished with his food, he stood up with the dishes, but Sakura grabbed them from him.

"I'll take them. Where are you planning to go now?"

Sasuke swung his satchel over his shoulder. "I received a tip that the sunset looks good at a beach near here, so I'm going to check it out."

Sakura's eyes brightened. "It is beautiful out there! Just be careful not to let the sand monster pull you in the ocean," she teased.

"I will."

And with that, he left.

Sasuke didn't quite know where he was going, but there was only one main road in Konoha and he had already gone one way to the library, so he headed the other way in hopes of meeting some form of ocean. Sure enough, in a few minutes he could smell salt air, so he knew he was going the right way.

Eventually, Sasuke found his way to a path that led to a small, secluded beach. Maine, where Konoha was located, was on the East Coast, so the sun didn't set over the ocean, but Konoha was on a peninsula, and this particular beach faced north instead of east. Because of this, the setting sun cast slanting rays of gold over the treetops and across the surface of the ocean. It really was a beautiful sight.

A sniffle caught his attention, and Sasuke walked in the soft, white sand for a few steps until he found the source of the sound. Around a bend, a blond young man, perhaps twenty or so, was sitting in the sand, wiping tears from his eyes. A sob of frustration escaped him as more took their place.

Then he finally noticed Sasuke's presence, and looked up. His tearstained face filled with dread as he recognized Sasuke, and Sasuke too felt a jolt of fear at recognition.

The young man was Naruto.


	7. The Sand Draugr

Oh my God, what a week! 12:35 in the morning still counts as Friday, right? Right?

I just came back from the second run of my show, and what kept me going was your beautiful review, **wideyedwander**. Words cannot describe the thanks I could give you.

Now, everyone, enjoy this! And I will have another chapter up on Sunday, and the schedule will return to normal after that.

* * *

A sniffle caught his attention, and Sasuke walked in the soft, white sand for a few steps until he found the source of the sound. Around a bend, a blond young man, perhaps twenty or so, was sitting in the sand, wiping tears from his eyes. A sob of frustration escaped him as more took their place.

Then he finally noticed Sasuke's presence, and looked up. His tearstained face filled with dread as he recognized Sasuke, and Sasuke too felt a jolt of recognition.

The young man was Naruto.

The rush of salt water was the only thing heard as the pair stared at each other, one guilty, the other scared, and both shocked at the intrusion. Naruto clasped a hand over his mouth as if he could take back the sobs, but it was too late. Sasuke had already heard, and it was a sound that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Naruto-"

The ghost darted to his feet and started to run, but Sasuke was faster, grabbing his arm. "Don't run from me! Naruto!"

Slipping from Sasuke's grasp by making himself incorporeal, Naruto backpedaled further, staying just out of reach. "Stay away from me!"

"Hold up!" Sasuke stumbled in the sand while Naruto floated gracefully along the top of it.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Naruto cried, fresh tears streaming down his face. "To not be around me? I'm just giving what you want!"

"Dammit!" Sasuke tripped inelegantly, sprawling in the sand. At least Naruto stopped running when there was no one to chase him. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? Oh, that's rich!" Naruto gave a tearstained cackle.

"I'm serious!" Pushing himself up, Sasuke made another grab for Naruto, but he danced out of reach. "You're not the same person who woke me up the other day, clothes strewn all around my room! What happened to you? Why didn't you ignore me like you did before?"

The final question popped out before Sasuke had even thought it through, but as soon as he said it, he realized the truth behind the statement. Earlier that day, he had secretly been hoping Naruto would ignore the request, that he would grab his arm and pull him somewhere else, or follow him and say inappropriate things during serious moments. Sasuke's life was a dull, emotionless existence, and Naruto had given him the first true freedom he had ever experienced, and as much as he hated it on the outside, he didn't want to give it up.

A sharp contact flung Sasuke's head to the side, even though Naruto never touched him, standing a few paces away with fists clenched. "What the hell! What happened to me? I trusted you, bastard! I _told_ you!"

Confusion flitted across Sasuke's mind. "Told me what?"

"Jesus!" Naruto screamed. "Are you that blind? I told you about my family, my name! There's not a single other live human who knows who I am!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as he finally understood. Without knowing the importance of the confession to Naruto, Sasuke had pushed the ghost away right after he had bared a vulnerable piece of his soul. Naruto was feeling betrayed, an emotion Sasuke knew all too well, and his heart went out to the suffering phantom in front of him. But how could he fix this?

In the end, he said the only thing he could think of. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry!" The words exploded out of Naruto.

"Yes."

The frankness of the word must have shocked Naruto, because he sank to the ground passed a hand over his eyes. "I don't know what that changes."

"Neither do I." Sasuke moved to sit next to Naruto. This time, he stiffened, but didn't move away. "But I hope it changes something."

"Ha."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the sun as it set over the treeline. The water grew darker, as if it was keeping secrets from the outside world.

Finally, Naruto broke the silence. "What now?"

"I don't know," Sasuke admitted. "But something, I hope."

All of a sudden, a jolt of fear ran across Naruto's face. Worried that he might have caused it, Sasuke reached for him.

"Are you alright? Was it-?"

"Get up," Naruto cried with urgency. "We have to get out of here!"

"What?"

 _Be careful of the sand monster,_ Sakura had warned. How she had known, Sasuke didn't have a clue, but below their feet the sand began to shiver and shake. Naruto jumped up and floated above the surface of the shifting sand, but Sasuke left to fight for footing on the moving ground.

"Run!" Naruto screamed, panic blossoming on his face. "He's coming!"

A thrill of fear ran down Sasuke's spine. "Who?"

"Gaara, the sand ghost! He's one of the more dangerous ones! He's killed before!"

"Killed? How many?"

"At least five!" Naruto pulled on Sasuke's arm. "You have to run now!"

Real terror gripped Sasuke then. Draugrs rarely killed past their revenge, unless it was denied them. Then an angry draugr would kill, and kill as he pleased, and the more he killed, the madder he got, until he was beyond all reaches of reason. Sasuke started to backpedal toward the line of trees, but a hand made of sand reached up and grabbed his ankle, sending him tumbling to the ground.

The sand softened and opened up below Sasuke, and he fought against the grains rising up his arms, but that only served to sink him deeper into the sand trap.

"Sasuke!" Naruto was already past the treeline, but was looking back at Sasuke, struggling against the sand.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke cried as he tried to rip a hand free. "Get out of here!"

For a second, Naruto looked like he was considering it, then sand grabbed Sasuke's throat and forced his head down, and he lost sight of the ghost. Sasuke strained his muscles, desperately trying to keep the sand from entering his mouth, and squeezed his eyes shut to protect them from the errant grains.

His satchel, with its supply of life-saving devices, was achingly close this hand, but the immobilizing sand kept Sasuke from reaching into it. Panic fought the reason trying to think of a way out of the sitcoms, and son in his oxygen-starved brain, when spots of color started to swim across his vision, Sasuke realized that he might actually meet his end at the hands of this sandy beast, whom he had never even seen. The irony of being killed by something he, an Uchiha, couldn't see was not lost on him.

Sasuke didn't stop fighting when sand plugged his ears, but none could have told the difference, so tight was he held by the sand. It grated against his skin with sandpaper ferocity, rubbing the poor flesh raw. Gradually, Sasuke grew weaker, his strength becoming more and more feeble as he found a losing battle against both the sand and unconsciousness.

Sasuke's world grew dark and cold, and eerily silent, as he was dragged fully under the sand. In the rays of the setting sun, the sand closest to the surface was pleasantly warm, but deeper down it possessed a chilly damp that smelled faintly of blood. The heavy weight settled against his body, and Sasuke felt strangely comforted by the tightness, like he would in an embrace. Unwillingly, he felt his body relax, even as his mind went into a crazed, unreasoned spin.

Finally understanding that there was no escaping from this, that he was going to die, Sasuke was struck with the realization that he had few regrets, and little he was afraid of leaving behind. The only thing he regretted was not finding a way to truely make up with Naruto, not the uneasy truce they had achieve earlier, and that the vibrant ghost would never have those tears - the fault of Sasuke - wiped away by the same hand that caused them. The knowledge saddened Sasuke, that the one thing which held the most meaning to him in his dying moments was someone who was already dead.

Slowly, and with purpose, Sasuke stopped struggling.

At that exact moment, a blast exploded away the sand on Sasuke's back, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around his chest and hauled back, freeing his upper body from the loosening grip of the sand. When the sand drained from his ears, Sasuke heard a frantic voice calling out to him.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Wake up! Please, wake up!"

Even though Sasuke had kept his mouth closed, a few grains of sand had made their way inside. Rubbing the grit from his eyes and spitting it out of his mouth, Sasuke opened his eyes to see the face of Naruto only a few inches away from his own.

"Naruto?" He croaked, throat sore from the earlier abuse sand grip. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he seized the collar of Naruto's shirt. "Why didn't you run? You were away, you could have gotten away-"

"Thank God!" Naruto cut Sasuke off by engulfing him in a sudden, violent hug, hands clutching desperately at the back of his shirt. "You're alive. I got you out in time. Oh, God, you're alive!"

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked uncertainly, feeling tears drip onto his collar and dampen it, a sign that Naruto was truly upset, enough to make his tears felt in Sasuke's dimension. "Are you alright?"

"No!" Naruto sobbed. "He had you…. He was dragging you down…."

Lips parting in surprise, Sasuke let his arms fold around Naruto. "You saved me. Why? All I did was hurt you, and yet…"

"All I could think about was you'd die thinking I was mad at you. I didn't even get a chance to forgive you!"

Shock froze Sasuke, and for a moment, it was only them locked in an embrace. The only thing he saw was the tufts of blond hair tickling his chin, and the only thing he felt was pressed up against his own. The forgiveness he craved - Naruto was willing, even eager, to give it?"

A loud groan from close by shocked Sasuke out of his thoughts, and jolted Naruto enough to so that he broke from Sasuke's arms, leaving him feeling slightly bereft. A mere ten paces from where they sat, a red headed ghost with a dark aura was coming to, and unrepresentative anger was rolling off him in waves. The strength of it gave Sasuke chills.

Naruto immediately jumped up, tugging Sasuke to his feet as well. "I managed to knock him out before, but I can't do it again! We need to run before he wakes up and attacks us again!"

"No." Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he stared at the waking sand ghost. "I've seen these types of draugrs before. Once they've attacked a human, they won't stop until whoever it is, is dead."

Naruto's eyes widened in fear. "How do we get away from him, then?"

"We don't." Rummaging through his sandy satchel, Sasuke pulled out a silver knife. Naruto flinched upon seeing it. "We fight him."

Gaara stood up, shaking disorientation from his head, and Sasuke and Naruto followed suit, the ghost hiding behind the human.

"Are you crazy?" Naruto hissed. "Using all my strength, I was barely able to knock him out for long enough to dig you out of the sand. I don't have enough energy left to even float, but now he's super pissed and stronger than ever! There's no way we could fight him off!"

Sasuke reached back into his satchel for a vial. "That's where my experience comes in. Were you a particularly religious person during your lifetime?"

"Of course I was; everyone was back then. Why?" He pointed to the vial in Sasuke's hand. "What's that?"

"Holy water," Sasuke answered, unscrewing the cover. "It only works on ghosts who were pious during life and still have a fear of God, but it's worth a shot. Since you were, you need to stay behind me and not touch the surf, whatever happens. Can you do that?"

Naruto nodded, but there wasn't time to say anything before Gaara spotted them and roared his anger.

"YOU WOULD DENY ME MY PREY? FOOLISH GHOST, I WILL END YOU AS WELL!"

Letting out a squeak, Naruto clung to Sasuke's arm, tipping the vial of holy water dangerously. "He's after me, too! We're going to die!"

"You're already dead," Sasuke remarked as he steadied the vial. "What could he do to you?"

"Make me a spiritual spirit!" Naruto wailed. "A ghost who haunts ghosts! The only thing worse than dying once is dying again!"

This was an idea Sasuke had heard of, but it had only been hypothesized by an ancestor of his. Hearing it from Naruto's scared ramblings confirmed it as true, and Sasuke was intrigued by the concept. However, he realized that now was not the time to ponder things as Gaara's eyes started glowing red and sand began to whip through the air on unnatural windy gusts. Sticking the knife through his belt loop, Sasuke grabbed the final thing he would need to fend off Gaara: a cross made entirely of silver.

Gaara made his advance slowly, which was, in some ways, more frightening than if he had run headlong into an attack. The sand condensed around him, forming a kind of shield. Only his eyes, burning that devilish hue, could be seen behind the wall of sand. At each step, the sand beneath their feet shivered as his power sent shockwaves rippling through the ground.

The target had to be at just the right distance for this to work. Too far, and it wouldn't work; too close, and Sasuke would be in danger. Sasuke stood his ground, holding his breath and waiting, waiting for the moment to strike. Finally, Gaara stepped close enough, a heart-stoppingly short distance that could have been made nonexistent if both Sasuke and the draugr had reached out a hand.

Brandishing the silver cross high in the air, Sasuke cried out, "Are you a God-fearing spirit?"

The effect was immediate: Gaara froze, the sand around him falling to the ground in damp clumps. Even Naruto, standing behind Sasuke, flinched at the unveiling of the relic. Keeping the cross high with one hand, Sasuke held the uncapped vial of holy water in the other and carefully poured it across the sand in a line that separated the draugr from him and Naruto.

The surf was reacting, pounding even more violently than normal in conjunction with Gaara's anger. Seething, it grew closer to the line of holy water with each crashing wave. Sasuke allowed a grin of triumph to slip onto his face; this was what he had been waiting for. "Naruto! You need to get off the ground right now!"

"I- I can't!" Naruto cried out fearfully. "I don't have enough energy!"

That was bad. If Naruto couldn't get off the ground, there was a chance that what Sasuke was about to do could permanently damage the phantom. Quickly thinking of another solution, he yelled, "Then jump on my back!"

"What?"

"Trust me!"

For a few heart-pounding seconds, Sasuke felt Naruto hesitate behind him, and thought he wasn't going to follow the order, but then the weight of the ghost settled on his back. Naruto was light, but warm, both characteristics of a corporeal ghost, and his arms gently crossed Sasuke's chest to keep himself in place. A thrill went through Sasuke at the contact, courtesy of the slight breath against the back of his neck, and a new determination found him then. This was going to save them both.

The pounding surf rushed up the beach, past Gaara's legs and over the line of holy water, then pushing on Sasuke's legs, knocking him slightly off balance. He fought to not fall backwards, and Gaara grinned, thinking he had won. However, the grin soured into a dreadful grimace when the surf rushed back, taking with it the seawater that had been contaminated with the holy water.

The water, while diluted, was enough to burn his legs, and Gaara howled as he tried to whip the sand around himself as a protection, only to realize too late that it, too, had been contaminated by the holy seawater. With an inhuman scream of rage, Gaara launched himself at Sasuke, who was barely able to keep the draugr at bay with the gleaming aura of the silver cross.

Dropping the now-useless vial which had once held the holy water, Sasuke instead grabbed the silver knife from his belt loop and held it up in defense. Even when faced with two silver instruments, Gaara did not back down; instead, he cast aside his sand defense and launched himself at the puny human who had dared enter his territory and render his sand harmful to his being.

"DIE!"

Sasuke launched himself into a backward momentum to escape the draugr, and feeling Naruto start to slip, cried, "Hold on!"

In response, he felt Naruto shift into the countenance of a small boy, perhaps five, and the size made it much easier for Sasuke to balance his weight. Naruto also wrapped his tiny legs around his waist, securing himself, so there was little danger of him falling off. A wave a relief washed through Sasuke; if Naruto was able to shift his appearance, it meant that his exhaustion was starting to lift and his powers were returning.

Clawing with gnarled fingers, Gaara tried to grasp Sasuke, but he threw a hand out in front of him at the last second, and the draugr instead grabbed the silver cross. The sudden pressure tore it out of Sasuke's grasp, and Gaara looked triumphant for a moment before he realized exactly what was in his grip. He tried unsuccessfully to drop it, but his fingers curled around it, smoking at the contact. When he finally pried his fingers off the silver metal, he dropped it unceremonious on the ground, and a red imprint of the cross was left on his hand.

Anger dripping off his features, Gaara jumped for Sasuke again, fingers curled into claws and malice flaming in his eyes. Naruto clung tighter to Sasuke and buried his face in his neck. The action gave Sasuke the energy to thrust outward with his knife. It caught Gaara in the forehead, but only a glancing blow, leaving a red mark against his skin.

Screaming, Gaara backed off and disappeared into the sand with a spray of damp clumps. The ground stilled, and silence overtook the suspiciously still air.

"Is he gone?" Naruto asked, jumping down from Sasuke's back and landing on the dry sand untouched by the surf.

"I don't know. I don't like this," Sasuke muttered, not dropping his hand with the knife. "It's too quiet."

Something was wrong; Sasuke could feel it. There was something he wasn't thinking of, something he was missing. But what it was, he just couldn't put his finger on.

It hit Sasuke a second too late: The sand! He and Naruto were standing on the dry sand uncontaminated by the holy water, the sand which Gaara could easily traverse. A thick glove of sand abruptly rose up from the ground and engulfed both Naruto's and Sasuke's legs.

With a cry of terror, Naruto tried to become incorporeal to escape, but the sand still held him fast. The only thing Sasuke could think to do was plunge the knife into the ground between his feet. Immediately, the sand around both of their feet loosened, so he did it again, and again, until they could rip their legs free. Naruto, who by this time had recovered most of his powers, searched until he could feel the wrath of the sand draugr, then sent a powerful blast of energy into the sand, sending it flying, just as he had done before when Sasuke had been trapped. Gaara was exposed above the sand by the blast, which left a crater in the beach. Another blast from Naruto, although a less powerful one, sprayed the draugr with wet sand, and the holy water in it slapped across his face.

Holding his hands over his burning face, Gaara screamed, loud and long, a terrible sound filled with unrelenting anger. When he removed them, his eyes were again red, but for a very different reason. Face twisted in a horrible mockery of a grimacing smile, he backpedaled furiously to escape the bite of the silver knife, only to scramble across the wet ground, hands smoking as they came in contact with the sand contaminated with holy water.

Without a second thought, Sasuke jumped after him brandishing the knife, the cross having been lost during the struggle. A feeling of power rushed through his limbs; he has brought this creature to his knees, he had defeated this beast! A kind of bloodlust took over his vision, and he saw nothing but the draugr before him as he prepared to plunge the blade into his already dead heart.

"No!" Suddenly Naruto was there, blocking Sasuke's view of Gaara and grabbing the hand that held the knife, even though his fingertips brushed against the gleaming metal and began to blister. "Don't!"

"Why?" Sasuke shouted angrily, struggling to break free of Naruto's grip. "He hurt you, he tried to kill me - why shouldn't he get what he deserves?"

"Because no one deserves that!"

That brought Sasuke back to his senses. The five-year-old face of Naruto was close to his own, sincere and slightly in pain.

"Please," Naruto begged. "Being a ghost is hard enough! No one sees you, so life passes you by, but at least we have the other ghosts! To be unseen, even by the unseen - that's a fate no one deserves."

Clarity descended back over Sasuke's vision, and he slowly lowered the knife. Naruto blinked several times, relief blanketing his features. Wincing, he let go of Sasuke's hand and curled the burned fingers into a fist.

Sasuke flinched uptown seeing the injury. "I'm sorry. I- I don't know what came over me." He reached out and took Naruto's hand, brushing the tender flesh with his own pale skin. Naruto flushed slightly at tech contact.

"Y-you don't have to do that," he muttered, trying to tug his fingers back, but Sasuke wouldn't let go.

"And yet another hurt heaped upon you by me," he murmured.

Naruto's flush deepened. "You don't… I mean…"

"I am sorry. I really mean it." Sasuke brushed a hand down Naruto's cheek, where tears had rolled not long ago. The ghost stared deep into Sasuke's eyes, and Sasuke stared back, feeling something blossoming inside him, but not knowing quite what it was. Lips parting slightly, he felt like he was about to say something, but he didn't know what it would be until it came out.

Before he could say it, Naruto's eyes went wide with pain, and he let a cry part his lips. His own eyes breaking free of the phantom's, Sasuke saw that Gaara, while Naruto had kept his back to the draugr, had used the opportunity to take a fistful of contaminated sand, and, even though it burned his own skin, had plastered it against Naruto's leg.

Red entered Sasuke's vision, and he grabbed the five-year-old form of Naruto and held it against his body, and stabbed at Gaara with the silver knife. At the last second, though, remembering Naruto's earlier plea, he avoided any fatal spots and instead sunk the blade into the meat of Gaara's shoulder. Gaara swung his arms about wildly, and Sasuke had to jump to avoid a dangerous claw. With careful timing, he waited, then thrust downward, sinking the knife straight through Gaara's hand to the hilt and pinning it to the sand.

The draugr tried to escape, but the silver made it impossible for him to become incorporeal and slip away. Taking advantage of the moment, Sasuke turned and picked Naruto up, settling the form of the ghost against his hip like a mother would carry a small child, then retrieved his cross and holy water vial and placed them in his satchel.

With conviction, he turned back to Gaara. The draugr slinked back slightly, knowing he had been beaten, but he still glared up at Sasuke with hate filled eyes.

"Just kill me already," he snarled. "I've lost. Take your victory."

His eyes closed, preparing for the blow. They popped open again when instead, Sasuke removed the knife from the draugrs hand, stowing it in his satchel and turning away.

"Wait!"

Sasuke turned back in annoyance. "What do you want?"

Gaara stood with mouth agape, taken aback by the first sign of mercy showed to him in his whole life, dead or otherwise. "Why didn't you kill me?"

"Believe me, if it had been up to me, I would have." Sasuke looked at Naruto, who was clutching his shirt with tiny fingers. "But he asked me not to. So I suggest you take this as a second chance and learn from it." He fixed the draugr with a glare before turning and striding away.

Gaara didn't follow.

When Sasuke made it off the beach and past the first bend of the trail, he collapsed on the first bench he saw. "Holy shit, that actually worked."

Naruto was sitting next to him, regarding him with a strange expression on his face.

"What?" Sasuke asked, a little disconcerted.

"Now it's my turn to ask the question," Naruto quipped with the hint of a sad smile. "What happened to you? This isn't the same person who told me to leave you alone this morning."

Hunching his shoulders, Sasuke ignored the question. Instead, he stood up from the bench and kneeled in front of Naruto, asking, "Does it hurt?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the change of subject, but didn't protest. "A little. It mostly just took me by surprise."

Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke rolled up Naruto's pant leg to reveal an angry red mark. When he touched it, the ghost winced, hissing in a breath. "Only a little? The holy water was dilute, but it still should have burned you."

"I'm fine," Naruto insisted, looking anywhere but at the human tending his wound.

Sasuke felt himself tremble inside. Naruto wasn't looking at him, was pulling away from him, just when he thought that had bonded over the shared experience of fighting Gaara. With a surge of panic, Sasuke realized that if he didn't do something fast, he was going to lose Naruto. The phantom would leave as soon as he could walk on his own, and the chances of Sasuke ever seeing him again were slimmer than a railroad tie.

It was that fear of losing the first true friend he had ever found which pried Sasuke's mouth open. "A confession for a confession," he muttered, his grip tightening on Naruto's pant leg.

"What?"

Drawing a deep breath, Sasuke admitted, "My older brother was driven insane by his ability to see ghosts."

Naruto's gaze suddenly clashed with his own, and, unable to stop once he had begun, the whole tale spilled out, from Itachi's blindness to his parents' obsession with the elder Uchiha brother to the strain his own gift had placed upon him. He finished with, "Because of this, I've grown to hate my gift. I've stopped looking at ghosts as something that was once human, and started seeing them almost as animals, something I can categorize without paying much attention to. But you were different, Naruto. I saw you as an individual, and it scared me. I ran, and it hurt you, and I truly am sorry for it."

Throughout Sasuke's speech, Naruto had kept eye contact, his wide-eyed gaze never faltering. He brushed Sasuke's cheek as he smiled softly. "I'm glad I was able to bring some closure to your life."

"I don't want it to end here," Sasuke admitted, unable to stop the words from tumbling from his lips. "This morning, I wanted you to ignore what I said and follow me anyway. I wanted you to drag me more places and make me meet more ghosts, both friend and foe. I- I still want that."

"And when we fought Gaara together, a part of me wanted to save you, and a part of me wanted you to save me," Naruto replied, a wide grin breaking over his face. "You fulfilled two of my wishes, so I don't see why I can't fulfill one of yours."

Sasuke's eyes grew wide. "You really mean it?"

"Yes, of course!" Naruto pulled him in for a hug, and Sasuke felt his own arms wrap around the phantom, feeling the thrill of real, loving contact.

A certain wistfulness entered Naruto's voice. "I've waited for someone like you for so long."

"As have I," Sasuke replied, his cheek brushing Naruto's shoulder. "As have I."

It was understood then, without either of them having to say it out loud, that they would be a part of the other from then on, that they would be each other's best friend and rival, brother and comfort, and a shoulder to cry on. The knowledge filled Sasuke with a sudden, unexpected joy; the one thing he hadn't known he had needed was there, right before him, and he grasped hold of it with both hands and swore to never let go.

After a while the sky started turning dark, so Sasuke picked up Naruto and settled him on his back, then carried him back to the Hokage. The two went to Sasuke's room and shut the door, and Sasuke fell into bed, exhausted from the fight and his confession, and Naruto, being an unsleeping ghost, sat up and watched him all night.

In the kitchen, Sakura was washing dishes when Kakashi walked in.

"Did you get him to agree to come to the event tomorrow?"

"Yeah, he's coming," Sakura replied. "But I don't see why it matters. It's just an old legend they're pres nation, right?"

"There's a grain of truth in every lesson," Kakashi admonished. "Besides, did you see how he walked back in here, like he was carrying something invisible on his back? Mark my words, that Uchiha can sense the spirits in unrest here."

Sakura's hands shook. "But why won't he admit it? He knows, so why hide it?"

"I don't know." Kakashi looked off into the distance. "All we can to is put our faith in him, and hope."


	8. Entanglements of Destiny

And here we are again!

Thank you again for your lovely words, **wideyedwander**. They just keep getting more descriptive and amazing, and they make me feel all fuzzy inside. I think it's safe to say that you're the reason Spectral Eyes made it over the 25,000 word mark.

This time I'll put a warning up, for bad language and graphic yaoi. You all got excited when I said that, but it's not what you think. Just read to find out.

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke woke to another vision of Naruto, again paging through a book, though this vision was greatly appreciated, unlike the morning before.

"Is it good?"

Naruto looked up at the voice. "Oh, you're awake. And it depends."

"On what?" Sasuke sat up in bed, pushing the covers away so he could set his feet on the floor and lean forward, chin in his hands and elbows on his knees. "Sakura gave it a good recommendation." He found it strange, and yet newly wonderful, that he hadn't even gotten out of bed yet, and here he was, in the middle of a discussion about something he enjoyed with someone he admired. The realization made him smile.

"Really?" Naruto raised a skeptical eyebrow. " _Entanglements of Destiny?_ I never would have pegged her as someone who would go for this kind of stuff. What did she say about it when she recommended it?"

Sasuke thought for a moment. "Well, actually, she didn't quite recommend it. She just said it was her favorite Kage Bushin novel, and something about forbidden love that wasn't clichéd."

"Forbidden love!" A laugh escaped Naruto, followed by a scoff. "It's got forbidden love, all right. I'll tell you what: enjoy the book, but just don't read page 214."

"Why? What's on page 214?"

Cleverly avoiding the question, Naruto changed the subject. "I dare you to tell Sakura you're reading this a breakfast today."

A derisive snort escaped Sasuke. "You expect me to fall for that? Now that you've warned me, I'll never tell her."

"Oh, come on. It'll be funny!"

"Hn." It was a neutral noise, but Naruto took it as an affirmation.

"Great!" He got up, floating absentmindedly. "I have to go steal some food from the kitchen for Akamaru - that's Kiba's dog - so I'll be back in a bit. Meet you in the dining area?"

"Sure," Sasuke said, a little disappointed that his new friend was leaving him alone so soon, even if only for a while. "Wait!"

When Naruto turned back, Sasuke asked, flushing a little, "What do you want to do today?"

Naruto's face split into a grin at the mere notion of Sasuke wanting to spend the day with him. A little more guilt stabbed at Sasuke's heart; he really had hurt Naruto the day before with his rejection. "I figured I'd just follow you around and say inappropriate things at inopportune times, like I did yesterday at the library. Sound good to you?"

A smile, silly in its wideness, spread across Sasuke's normally sullen face. "Sounds plenty good to me."

When Naruto disappeared through a wall, grin still in place, Sasuke got up and dressed himself. Before he went downstairs, however, his eyes were drawn to Entanglements of Destiny. Naruto had said not to read page 214, but that just made Sasuke want to read it more. To the point that his fingers itched to flip the pages of the novel. With a quick glance around him to ensure Naruto wasn't going to come back, Sasuke picked up the book, flipped to page 214, and started reading.

 _Seon rose up above Lord Hyaki, bracing himself with one hand as the other, with its spit-coated fingers, trailed wetly up the inside of his Master's thigh and probed at his entrance. Lord Hyaki squirmed slightly, but waited patiently as Seon pressed a single finger inside him. The hotness of a furnace engulfed him, squeezing tightly around the finger, and Seon flushed slightly, imagining what it would feel like around another part of his body. After glancing up at Lord Hyaki's face to make sure there was no pain there, he added a second finger, then a third._

 _"Stop," Lord Hyaki said abruptly, catching Seon's hand._

 _"Why?" Fear suddenly gripped Seon's heart. "Did I do something wrong?"_

 _"No," the demon replied, and Seon felt relief wash over him. "I'm ready. You don't have to do that anymore."_

 _"Are you sure?" Seon asked nervously as he removed his fingers. "It's supposed to hurt if I don't-"_

 _"Enough!" Lord Hyaki barked suddenly, glaring at Seon ferociously. "I am the eldest son of the leader of the Draconian Demon clan! Do not underestimate me! Now just hurry up and fuck me!"_

 _The speech startled Seon, but it was the gaze - raw, needy, and above all, loving - that did something to him. Everything he shouldn't have been feeling for his Master was erupting from a long-bottled place in his heart, and the ferocity of it broke his control entirely. In one swift movement, he thrust his lower body forward, and sheathed himself completely inside the man below him. Inside Lord Hyaki._

 _No, Seon realized as he looked down at the demon who was now his lover, hearing the cries he let out and watching as his head thrashed back and forth, white hair tangling and spreading across the black satin pillow. Just Hyaki. He was making love to Hyaki._

 _Jesus,_ Sasuke thought. Naruto had been right: it was forbidden love, just not quite the kind he had been expecting. And Sakura and said that she liked it. Did she know? Was it some sort of sick joke? Suddenly swearing out loud, Sasuke realized that he was going to have to ask her about it at breakfast to find out, even though he had sworn he wasn't going to. Damn that Naruto!

With a few choice foul words, Sasuke picked up the book and stuffed it in his satchel, the. Headed down to the dining area, where Naruto was already waiting for him, seated at a table for three. It only took a glance at Sasuke's face for him to burst out laughing.

"You read it, didn't you? I knew you wouldn't be able to resist! Did you like it?"

"Asshole," Sasuke muttered under his breath, causing Naruto to laugh.

Sakura walked over, cutting the conversation short. "Morning, Sasuke! Look who's finally up to breakfast!"

"Yeah," Sasuke managed weakly. Sakura curled up in an armchair, reading scenes of steamy male sex, was all he could think about.

"Great! Can I get you something?"

"Sure."

Sakura bounded off, but was soon back with two plates. She sat down opposite him and started to eat as he stared at his own meal. Pancakes, with real maple syrup and cut fruit. He would be drooling it he wasn't feeling slightly sick.

"Sakura," he announced suddenly, "I'm going to read _Entanglements of Destiny_."

The effect was both immediate and large: Sakura's eyes went wide and she started choking. After taking a long drought of water, she squeaked, "You don't have to do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because… Because…" Sakura floundered for words. "Because I don't really think you'd like it that much!"

Relief washed over Sasuke; if she was trying to stop him from reading the book, she obviously didn't want him to know the contents and thus hadn't purposefully suggested it to him. That meant his secret was safe, so he decided to tease her a little more. "Why wouldn't I like it? I'm a fan of original takes on forbidden love. That is why you like it, correct?"

"Y-yes," Sakura admitted with a red face. "But it's a little… graphic…"

If the page Sasuke had read earlier was anything to go by, it was more than a little graphic. But now that he knew Sakura hadn't been taunting him, he was intrigued by the book. A relationship between two males, one of which was the Master and one of which was a servant, set in a fantasy world where the Master was a demon- all the components did seem rather prevalent in literature by themselves, but when put together, they presented quite an interesting prospective plot. Smiling, he found himself feeling hungry for the first time since he had walked downstairs, and he pulled his plate toward him and took a bite of pancake.

"I don't mind a little graphic," he said after swallowing.

Sakura, sensing she was fighting a losing battle, chose not to respond and instead took another bite of food. Sasuke allowed a triumphant grin to slip through his mask for a few seconds before recalling it.

"That was priceless," Naruto chortled from the third chair. "Man, I never would have guessed that Sakura of all people would read those kinds of books! I mean, I know some girls like them, but Sakura? This is just too good."

Sakura shifted uncomfortably, almost as if she could sense Naruto talking about her. With a shake of her head, she changed the subject. "I know I already asked you if you were interested in going somewhere with some of us locals tonight, but do you think you want to go out with Ino and me today? We're going out before the event, and thought you might like to come with us."

Before responding, Sasuke gave quick glance toward Naruto. The ghost gave him a grin. "Do it! It's a perfect chance to play the game!"

Turning back to Sakura, Sasuke accepted the invitation. "Sure, I'd love to go out with you and Ino."

"Really? That's great! We're were going to go shopping, and we can show you all the cool spots that locals love!" Sakura whisked away their finished plates, then grabbed his arm and started out the door. "Come on! Ino's waiting for me, so let's go surprise her!"

Ino was, indeed, surprised when Sasuke came with Sakura. The two girls immediately squealed and started pulling him everywhere, pointing out favorite spots and places they thought he might like. This was broken up by Naruto randomly interjecting sentences and actions - his 'game' - to try to make Sasuke laugh.

They had been walking around for nearly an hour, and Naruto had exhausted his repertoire of bad jokes and tricks, but he had yet to make Sasuke react. Frustrated, he backed off to think of a new tactic.

"Do you like ice cream?" Sakura asked, pointing out a vender across the street.

At the same time, Naruto suddenly asked, "You like Disney movies?"

"Hn." It was actually an no, but both the girls and Naruto took it as a yes.

"Excellent! They make their own ice cream, and it's the best!" Ino and Sakura each grabbed an arm and pulled Sasuke toward the ice cream vender.

Naruto, floating behind them, started singing the tune of the opening to The Lion King, except with very different words. " _Iiiiiiiiiiiiii don't know-ahhhhhhhhhhh what the words really are! It's okay- I'll just sing dirty_!"

Sasuke refused to let his lips even twitch. The entire plot of The Lion King was an allusion to Hamlet, and there was no way something so depressing would make him laugh. Naruto, sensing this, switched tactics.

 _"I can show you the world: shining, shimmering, metallic- and maybe a little bit phallic! Take a look and you'll agree!"_

Sakura interrupted the end of this song. "They have the best Rocky Road. Do you like Rocky Road?"

Ino scoffed at this. "That has too many calories. You would never eat that, right, Sasuke?"

"I've never heard of that before," Sasuke answered. It was a truthful responce to one question, but not the other. These double conversations were quite fun, he was finding.

"How have you never seen Aladdin? It's only like the best move ever!" Naruto pretended to faint from shock, then popped back up again. "Okay, something you definitely have heard about…" He trailed off in thought as Ino cut in.

"How can you not know what Rocky Road is?"

"I bet he's more of a gelato guy," Sakura said with amusement.

"Italian ice, actually," Sasuke replied.

Sakura gave a fake sniff. "Rich kids."

"Hey, I can't help that."

At that moment, Naruto's eyes lit up. "I got it! You have to get this one! _Let it out, let it out! Can't masterbate any more! Let it out, let it out! Turn away and cum on the floor!_ "

The words were so unexpected and dirty that Sasuke could help but allow a sniggering gasp to escape from his mouth. The two girls have him strange looks at this, but he quickly diffused the tension by pointing at the ice cream menu. "What do you recommend?"

"Rocky Road," Sakura said. At the same time, Ino said, "The sherbet," and Naruto said, "Pistachio."

"Pistachio?" The word had slipped out reflexively, and now both girls and the man behind the ice cream counter were giving Sasuke strange looks. "Um, I like pistachio! Yeah, I'll get that!"

When the three had purchased their ice cream, they wandered over to a bench to sit down, and Naruto resumed his game.

" _I know you, I fucked you once in a wet dream_!" He sang, dancing around in a mock waltz.

Sasuke had to take an abnormally large bite of his ice cream to stop a snicker from escaping. To his surprise, it actually tasted quite good, despite the strange name, and he thanked whoever had thought of the idea of making ice cream from a nut.

"How did you get the one from Sleeping Beauty, but miss Aladdin? You seriously have got to get your priorities in order." Naruto shook his head.

"It's that good?" Ino asked, eyes the green ice cream with an almost repulsed glance.

"It is," Sasuke replied. "It tastes better than what I get in Chicago."

"You poor boy," Sakura teased. "Bereft of homemade ice cream your whole life."

"I want to try some," Naruto announced. He bent down and grabbed Sasuke's hand holding the ice cream to keep the cone steady, then dragged his tongue up the far side. When he pulled away, he had a repulsed expression on his face. "You actually like that stuff? It's nasty!"

Ino poked Sasuke in the side. "Hey, you okay there? You were staring at that like you had seen a ghost or something!" She giggled at her own joke, and Sakura joined in.

"No, it's nothing."

At that precise moment, Naruto chose to break into a new song. " _Tale as old as fuck, song as old as fuck, Beauty screws the Beast!_ "

Sasuke couldn't help it; he burst out laughing at that, not even caring that Ino and Sakura were watching him. Tears of mirth escaped from his eyes, and he felt the first sense of belonging he had experienced since Itachi had gone crazy and his parents had begun to focus all of their energy on the elder Uchiha brother.

 _Perhaps this is going to be best vacation I've ever had,_ Sasuke thought as he watched Naruto do a victory dance for beating him.


	9. The Konoha Spirtual Week

And another one up, and another one up, and another one hits the web! (I really hope someone got that joke)

Thank you so much for reviews, **wideyedwander** and **dreaming of rocketships**. i know I must say it a lot, but I'll keep saying it for as long as you keep saying nice things about me! It's my greatest hope that I can make someone laugh with what I write, so it really makes me happy when I do.

This time round, prepare for some ACTION! (You decide what that means)

Signing off, Addi. Enjoy!

* * *

After the best morning he had ever had, Sasuke, together with Ino and Sakura and followed by Naruto, grabbed some food at a cute little cafe aptly called The Bagel Shop, because everything on the menu was made with a bagel. They chatted amiably while they ate, and even Naruto behaved himself for a while, deciding to let Sasuke have a little peace after beating him earlier and contenting himself with stealing chips from Sasuke's plate while no one was looking.

When they exited The Bagel Shop, Sakura and Ino got excited about something Sasuke didn't care about and ran ahead, leaving him to trail behind with Naruto floating after him.

"I'm board, Sasuke," Naruto complained, darting around him in quick bursts.

No one was looking too closely at the Uchiha, so he decided he could risk some quiet conversation. "You're the one who told me to accept Sakura's invitation."

"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd crack so fast!"

Sasuke let out an affronted sniff. "I lasted over an hour with you making tasteless remarks, thank you very much."

"Oh-ho!" Naruto prodded Sasuke's stomach. "So you just have a soft spot for Disney movies, is that it?"

"No!" Horror descended through Sasuke. "I don't like Disney!"

"Oh, really?" Naruto smirked at him. "Why did you laugh at me singing, then?"

Sasuke very delicately chose not to answer, and Naruto snickered. "I thought so."

"Sasuke! Sasuke!"

Sasuke looked up to see the two girls waving him over. They were in the company of two other teenagers, a heavyset boy and a slight girl with twin buns at the nape of her neck. Refusing to hurry, he strolled over to them leisurely, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants and nodding at Naruto to follow. The pair, one invisible to the outside world, made their way towards the group waiting for them.

When he got close enough, Sakura grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. "This is Sasuke, the guy I was telling you about. He's coming with us tonight, so we dragged him out for a daytime heist, too!"

The heavyset boy held out a hand for Sasuke to shake, and he gladly took it. The hand was warm, but not sweaty, and had a firm grip that Sasuke admired. "Nice to meet you, Sasuke. I'm Choji, and this is TenTen," he said gesturing to the gi

* * *

rl beside him. TenTen gave a polite wave, but didn't extend a hand to shake.

"So," Sasuke joked, surprising himself with how easy he felt with theses people, "What exactly did Sakura tell you about me?"

"Oh, not much," Tenten supplied with a grin. "Just that you were an absolute hunk."

Both Ino and Sakura flushed at this.

"Several times," Tenten added, seeming to enjoy the discomfort she was causing.

Choji laughed, but took pity on the girls. "She said that you're staying in the Hokage for the summer. Are your parents here as well?"

Sasuke's mood immediately darkened, and Choji paled. "No, they aren't."

"I'm sorry," Choji apologized. "I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's fine," Sasuke said as he shook his head to clear the darkness from it. "They were held up by a personal emergency, that's all. They'll come later if they can."

A pair of arms wrapping about Sasuke's waist from behind startled him for a second, until he realized it was Naruto, and relaxed into the contact. It was strange, what a single shared fear and a mutual confession could do to two very different people. He still hardly knew Naruto, and yet, he felt as if he was the truest friend he had ever had. When the arms relinquished him, Sasuke sneakily held a hand open next to his side, and Naruto took it, fingers warm and very real against his own.

"So, where do you live?" Tenten asked, attempting to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Chicago."

"Wow!" Even Ino's eyes grew wide at that. "That's so far away!"

"Is it really true that gusts of wind get caught around the skyscrapers and go down the streets?" Sakura asked with wide eyes.

Letting out a chuckle, Sasuke replied, "They don't call it The Windy City for nothing."

Just then, Sakura's phone went off. She grabbed it from her pocket, muttering something about bothersome people not leaving her alone. It had been barely up to her ear for ten seconds before her face crumpled and she snapped, "Aw, Hell."

Sasuke stared at her in surprise, never having heard such a rough word from the cheery girl before, but apparently the Kohona teens were used to it, because they didn't react. Sakura listened to whoever was on the other end for a few more seconds, then sighed heavily.

"Yeah, I'll be there. Yep. See you in ten. Bye."

Shoving her phone back in pocket, Sakura addressed the group. "A couple of the kids for tonight got sick, so their families couldn't come help set up. Kakashi needs a few extra hands. Anybody else in? And Ino, you have to come. Kakashi's threatening our jobs."

Ino made a face, and Choji immediately stepped forward. "I'm free until later this afternoon, so I can help."

"Great!" Sakura looked to Tenten, but she shook her head.

"Sorry, I have to go to work soon. I wish I could help, though."

"That's alright," Ino sighed. "Three sets of hands should be enough."

"Four," Sasuke supplied. All four of the Konoha teens looked at him in surprise, and he flushed slightly under the blatant stares. "I'll help."

Identical grins spread across the two girls' faces, and they suddenly attacked Sasuke with a hug from both sides, chattering in his ears. Naruto laughed at his predicament, and he sent the phantom a glare. However, his gaze was soon caught by Choji, who had a strange expression on his face. Was that… jealousy? And of him? If so, the heavyset boy had nothing to worry about.

Pushing off the two girls, Sasuke instead shoved his hands into his pockets. "What is it that needs to be done?"

Flipping her hair over shoulder, Sakura replied, "Setting up for tonight's event. A couple people got sick, so we need to cover for them."

"What is the event?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

"A presentation of local legends," Tenten exclaimed excitedly.

"It's a weeklong event with a different presentation every night," Chouji explained. "It's part of Konoha Spiritual Week, where everyone gets really into the whole 'here there be ghosts' thing. It's a huge tourist attraction. Didn't you know that?"

"No," Sasuke admitted, feeling anger at his father flare all over again. Why hadn't the man at least looked at the town before signing the check to let them stay at the Hokage?

Sakura grabbed his arm. "That just means he'll be surprised when he sees the show tonight!"

Show? What kind of event was this Konoha Spiritual Week?

Sasuke soon got his answer. After Tenten left, Sakura and Ino had dragged him and Choji to the gymnasium of Konoha Elementary School, where the event was supposed to take place. The gymnasium was a wide area with a curtain that could draw down the middle, big enough so that two classes of students could run concurrent on either sides of the makeshift wall. One whole side of the gym was taken up by a stage, where set pieces were being hastily painted in preparation for whatever would happen later that day. So, Sasuke reasoned, the event, at least today's portion, was some sort of pageant.

Almost immediately, Sakura took charge of the preparations, and Sasuke was impressed with the way even the adults who were already there seemed relieved when she stood up and started barking orders.

Choji was immediately assigned to Ino's side to be her muscles as she darted to the lobby to set up tables and decorations. Sasuke, after being told in no uncertain terms was he allowed to peek at what was happening backstage to avoid spoiling the surprise of what would happen, was set to the job of taking metal folding chairs and arranging them in row across the gym floor for the audience to sit in.

Upon inquiring as to whether the town had an actual auditorium, Sakura had informed him that it had several, including one at the High School and one at a community theater, but neither were big enough for the expected crowd, so he had better shut his trap and start setting up chairs or she would make him follow Ino and have Choji do the chairs, a fate that would surely leave Sasuke covered in pink glitter, paint, and God knows what else. Sasuke happened to like the shirt he was wearing, so he quickly got to the chairs.

Soon, everyone else was doing jobs outside the gymnasium, and Sasuke was the only one in the vast room. Noticing this, Naruto started to fool around, moving chairs Sasuke had just set up.

"Cut it out, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled after turning around and finding an entire row of chairs facing away from the stage.

"Who, me?" Naruto pulled an innocent face and transformed into a five year old, but Sasuke wasn't buying it.

"Yes, you! Now straighten those out, or else!"

Something flashed in Naruto's eyes, and he jumped on Sasuke's back. "Or else, what?" He asked directly into Sasuke's ear in what could only be described as a purr.

"Or else I'll lace all my food with holy water, and if you ever try to steal any, like you did with my ice cream earlier, you'll burn your tongue!" Sasuke spun in a circle, trying to dislodge the stubborn ghost. "Now get off and fix the chairs!"

"Fine." Naruto slipped off Sasuke's back, and, returning to a teenaged visage, flicked his hands and used telekinesis to turn the chairs back around to face the stage. "Happy?"

"It's better," Sasuke admitted. "But they're crooked. Straighten them out."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Glaring at the ghost, Sasuke pointed at the chairs. "No, I'm not. Now fix them!"

Grumbling, Naruto floated over to the chairs and straightened them out by hand. Sasuke gave a nod of approval before turning to his own row and adding a few more chairs.

A sneaky glance over Sasuke's shoulder told him that Naruto was following his line of chairs, straightening them out after Sasuke placed them. He even floated up towards the fueling to check if the lines were straight several times, each time returning to fix the rows and columns in a pattern as even as the squares on a chessboard. A smile ghosted over Sasuke's face; Naruto really wasn't so bad when he had his mind set to something.

Just as Sasuke was starting to feel hungry, he and Naruto finished the job, and were in the midst of congratulating themselves when Sakura poked her head back into gym. "Sasuke! Come here!"

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Sasuke started shuffling towards Sakura, Naruto hot on his heels. "What is it?"

"Pizza!" She exclaimed, holding up a half-eaten slice. "All the workers get some. If you want a slice, come get one quickly, or Choji's going to eat them all."

A muffled "Hey!" could be heard from behind Sakura.

She turned to glare behind her. "Well, you will!"

Feeling his stomach grumble at the thought of food, Sasuke followed Sakura into the lobby of the gymnasium, where a lot of magic had been wrought in the time it had taken him to set up the chairs. Tabled had been spaced out around the sides with chairs placed behind them, and tastefully decorated in different styles. If Sasuke had to guess, he thought that they would be used like booths in a craft fair during the event.

The last table was covered in a pizza boxes, where the rest of the workers were clustered, eating merrily. A few feet away, Ino was refusing food, while Choji was trying to convince her that a slice of pizza wouldn't kill her. Something clicked in Sasuke's brain, and Choji's earlier expression now made sense. He had been jealous of Sasuke when Ino and Sakura had attacked him earlier because he liked Ino! Sasuke made a mental note to cheer Choji on, not that he deserved a girl like Ino who wouldn't give a second thought because of his weight, but because he appeared happy admonishing the waif-like girl.

After the meal, Sakura told Sasuke that he was free until the event started, so he found a corner to curl up in and started to read _Entanglements of Destiny._ When Naruto sat down next to him, he pulled out his summer English Project book and handed it to the phantom, who made a face but didn't complain. The next few hours were passed in companionable silence, the only sound that could be heard the rustle of turning pages.

Sasuke was surprised at how good the book actually was, especially because of the scene he had previewed earlier. However, it was a very tasteful presentation of the subject, and he found himself enjoying the twists and turns in the main characters' relationship, from social constraints to family issues.

He finished it just as people were beginning to flood into the gymnasium, filling up the chairs he had so laboriously set up before. Sasuke quickly took an aisle seat, so he could be nearer to Naruto, and settled in to watch the show.

He had known it was some kind of pageant, but someone had neglected to tell him it was a children's pageant. Most children shows were cute at best, but this one actually did a good job. Someone had obviously worked with the kids, and they were funny onstage. At a couple points, it actually made him laugh out loud.

The show was a presentation of the major local legend of how Konoha got to be such a haunted town. Sasuke found himself quite intrigued by the plot. Being an expert on ghosts himself, he knew the legend was inaccurate, albeit a good story. The whole thing was absolutely adorable, and he was glad Sakura had asked him to go.

* * *

For Sasuke, the next few days passed much as that one had, and he was glad of the momentary reprieve from the insanity that was his life. Every morning, he would wake up near Naruto, and the two would bicker companionably before heading out. Sasuke visited the Konoha Public Library often, and took to taking out two or three books at a time for the sole purpose of giving one to Naruto whenever Sasuke found a moment of quiet to sit down and pull out a book, so the two could read together.

The time he spent was packed, and yet somehow lazy at the same time. Every day, Sakura would invariably find Sasuke and drag him into something, and when she wasn't making him meet new people or go do things he only really enjoyed because of her smile, Naruto would pull him away someplace to experience the real ghost culture of Konoha. Sasuke became familiar with each of the phantoms, learning their likes, their dislikes, and their histories.

To Sasuke's surprise, all of them had been the sons of previous owners of the Hokage. Shikamaru was a Nara, Shino an Aburame, and Kiba an Inuzuka, all of whom had been owners in the twenties. Lee's name he hadn't recognized, but the youngest phantom had told Sasuke that he was the son of the owner in the late eighties and early nineties, Gai.

Naruto was the oldest and therefore most powerful of them, but each phantom had his own specialty, as Sasuke learned. Shikamaru, who was lazy despite having genius level intelligence, had perfected telekinesis to avoid excess movement.

Kiba, on the other hand, was most adept at becoming corporeal in order to play with his small white dog, Akamaru, who, Sasuke found out, was a direct descent of the dog the phantom had owned while he was alive.

The phantom with sunglasses so prevalent they were almost a part of his face, Shino, was never far from Kiba, and he was proficient at a technique of influence and persuasion, though it only worked on animals, and best on insects, with their limited mental capacity that was easily swayed. Lee, of course, was much younger and had developed to substantial powers yet.

It was during this time that Sasuke learned exactly how special Naruto was. He didn't have an area of his powers he was most proficient at; rather, his gift lay in the amount of spiritual energy his ghostly body could hold. To further his pranks and mischievous nature, Naruto had obtained an endurance that meant he could maintain both telekinesis and corporeality for an extended period of time, allowing him to live almost as a human, except that no one could see him. Naruto was also the only phantom with the ability to eat and digest food, something Sasuke had noticed and wondered about. Shikamaru had mentioned to him once, in strictest confidence, that Naruto had always possessed these traits, but it was only after he became friends with Sasuke that he had begun to really explore them.

Sasuke always attended the events as well, each time choosing an aisle seat so Naruto could be near him. Each night was different and unique, from the children's pageant of the first night to dramatic readings and musical interpretations, but they all had something to do with Konoha's local legends and spiritual encounters.

One night, as they were watching a man who was a local historian give a PowerPoint with actual documents and eyewitness testimonies, Sasuke had heard the name Gaara mentioned, and he had looked up eagerly, interested in the backstory of the draugr that had attacked him. It seemed almost fantastically tragic, that his own parents had buried him in the sand because they feared his red hair and murderous turquoise gaze, and that he had taken revenge many times since then in documented cases spanning decades. Sasuke was struck by how he might have been one of those cases if Naruto hadn't saved him, and the relevation were made even more unsettling by Naruto's whisper in Sasuke's ear, telling him the tale was most certainly true, for he had seen it happen. It did make sense, though, and Sasuke felt like he understood Gaara's motives a little better after that.

His favorite night, though, had to be the sixth one, the night just before the finale. Apparently, Konoha had a local talent who had received a theater degree, and he performed a one-man narration of the hauntings of the mayor's office, of which there seemed to be plenty. The man was a naturally gifted comedian, and Sasuke had never remembered laughing so hard in his life, probably because his father would never have stood for it, being too stuck in the concept of the "Uchiha Pride." It was invigorating and freeing, especially when Sasuke heard Naruto's hearty guffaw in conjecture with his own, and it was the best thing he had ever felt.

After the show, Sakura walked with Sasuke back to the Hokage, companionable chatter accompanying them. Even though Sasuke had claimed he didn't make friends easily, the pink haired girl and he had developed a kind of understanding, and he liked it. Apart from his ghostly ones, Sakura was the first friend he had made in Konoha, and it filled him with a welcoming feeling that had never embraced him before.

"So, I finished _Entanglements of Destiny_ the other day," Sasuke remarked into their conversation.

Sakura, to her credit, looked abashed, and her cheeks flushed a deep red in the glow of the street lamps. "Y-you did?"

"I did," Sasuke replied, eyes twinkling merrily. "And I enjoyed it immensely."

"You did?" Sakura visibly relaxed. "That's good. I was afraid that you'd judge me for liking it. That stuff's not really taboo here, but people still don't go around stating that they like it."

A Shockley sounded forth from deep in Sasuke's throat. "For what it was, it was handled both sensibly and tastefully. I found it to be very artistic."

Sakura exclaimed excitedly, "Me, too! The emotional bond between Seon and Hyaki is so beautifully portrayed, and the changes their relationship went through were so realistic and bold! Oh, you don't know how good it it to be able to talk about this with someone!"

They had reached the Hokage now, so Sasuke held the door open for Sakura. He expected her to disappear into the back rooms, but instead, she stood next to him uncertainly.

"Hey, Sasuke?" She asked, a blush staining her cheeks. "I know this is kind of sudden, but can I ask you something?"

"You already did," Sasuke joked.

A weak smile graced Sakura's face. "Well, I'm going to tell you something, then. Even though we've only known each other for a short while, Sasuke, I feel like we have a kind of bond."

"I feel the same way," Sasuke replied, not quite sure where she was going with this. Did she need a favor, or something?

Was that hope in her eyes? "Then, we feel the same way. Oh, Sasuke, I'm so glad!"

And then Sakura leaned toward him, and Sasuke felt a panic start in his chest. She wasn't going to-! She wouldn't-!

She did. Her eyes closing, Sakura pressed her lips delicately against Sasuke's own. Frozen, he fought mentally against the touch for a few seconds before pushing Sakura away.

"Wait! I can't, Sakura!"

A pout formed on her lips. "Why not?"

Here it was, the moment he would have to make his confession. He had dreaded telling anyone since the fiasco with his parents.

"I'm gay," Sasuke admitted.

Sakura's eyes went wide. "Oh. Oh."

"...Yeah."

A sad smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. "This explains why liked Entanglements of Destiny so much."

"That had nothing to do with it," Sasuke joked weakly. "Can't a person enjoy good literature in any form?"

An awkward silence descended between them then, until Sasuke broke it. "Um, Sakura?" He asked. "We can still be friends, right?"

The question seemed to snap her out of whatever thoughts he had been in. "Of course!"

Sasuke felt better, but only a little bit. Sakura started to back away, toward the kitchen.

"I have some stuff to do, so…"

"It's alright," Sasuke said with a trace of sadness. "I have to get some sleep, anyway."

He turned and walked up the stairs, entering suite 2B. No sooner had he stepped through the doorway to his bedroom, however, then a force had him pinned up against the closed door.

It was Naruto. With a pang, Sasuke realized that he must have watched the entire exchange with Sakura, and he had forgotten that the ghost was even there.

"What was that?" Naruto hissed, face inches from Sasuke's own.

"I- I pushed her away-" Sasuke tried to say, but Naruto cut him off.

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it! Why didn't you tell me?" The ghost looked hurt, and Sasuke immediately realized what he was talking about.

"It wasn't personal; I didn't tell anyone! I only told Sakura because she tried to kiss me!"

Naruto shook Sasuke by the collar. "I don't care about excuses! Just shut up!"

"But-"

"Shut up!"

This time, Naruto shut Sasuke up with his mouth, and unlike the kiss with Sakura earlier, Sasuke found himself responding. He was pressing back with lips and reaching forward with hands, eyes closed, fingers grasping, breath coming in hot, hard pants-

And then Naruto was the one to push away, a look of surprise and a little fear on his face. Sasuke probably had the same look on his face, surprised and scared, but something else in Sasuke's expression caused the phantom to back away.

"I- I'm sorry!" Naruto stuttered.

"Naruto-" Sasuke tried to reach out to the ghost, but he fled, disappearing through a wall. A little tear appeared in his heart as he watched Naruto leave.

That night, he slept without Naruto at his side for the first time since they had faced Gaara's attack together, and the loneliness invaded Sasuke's dreams.


	10. Out of the Closet and Into the Fire

Wow, it's late at night. Anyway, another chapter down.

*Accepts **wideyedwander's** medal and trophy* "Thank you, thank you all! I'd like to especially thank my mother, my publisher, my cat, my aunt's niece's best friend's brother's wife's bran muffins, and the reviewers for taking me this far!"

* * *

When Sasuke woke the next day, Naruto was still conspicuously absent. For a second, the emptiness confused him, then he remembered the events of the night before, and flash of heat crept across his cheeks in the form of a blush.

Sasuke had been kissed last night, and much as his Uchiha Pride - the same pride he damned his father for having - loathed to admit it, the incident had been a mess of firsts: his first kiss with a girl, his first kiss with a ghost, his first time confessing his sexuality to anyone outside his family, and the first time it had been received with anything representing acceptance.

Even after sleeping on it, Sasuke still wasn't sure what to think of whole messy affair. Naruto was special to him, and during the week they had spent together he had shown Sasuke what it was like to be cared for, and had given him a greater understanding of ghosts that wasn't limited to their level of spiritual power, but that didn't mean Sasuke had wanted to kiss him. Did it?

Even though he was most certainly gay, Sasuke had never really been attracted to another person before. His personality and upbringing locked him in that way, making him focus on choices that would influence his life rather than casual relationships. Not that he hadn't experimented a little - what boy his age hadn't? - but he had never really felt something from the short encounters that only lasted as long as a chaste kiss. When Naruto had kissed Sasuke, it had woken something furious inside him, and he had kissed back with a vengeance. The passion Sasuke had shown unnerved himself even now, and he tried unsuccessfully to shake the thoughts of the encounter from his mind.

With a soft sigh, Sasuke got ready for the day and went downstairs, the aroma of breakfast enticing him to the dining area. Upon catching sight of a certain pink-haired girl, however, he paused. Sakura had tried to kiss him as well; what if she had only been acting nice to him because she was interested in him, and now that that option was no longer open, she would behave coldly toward him?

His fears were proved unfounded, however, when Sakura caught sight of him and steered him to a table with a cheery greeting, before disappearing into the kitchen and reappearing with two plates of food. She chattered to as him as she did every day, and even though he was grateful she wasn't ignoring him, Sasuke found the lack of change to be disconcerting, especially since he had been expecting such a large deviation from their normal relationship. Isn't that what normally happened when someone got rejected?

After sitting through her mindless chatter for a few minutes, picking at the food brought to him, Sasuke's nerves had finally had enough.

"Aren't you even going to acknowledge what happened?" He asked in a bitter voice, his hand slamming, open-palmed, against the table.

Sakura broke off mid-sentence, staring at Sasuke with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

For some reason, the question infuriated Sasuke. "What's different now?" He curled his hand into a fist. "What did last night change?"

"Nothing." The frankness of the answer caught Sasuke off guard, and Sakura pressed her advantage. "We're friends, Sasuke. I wanted more, but it was impossible. It went no further. Nothing has changed."

A strange feeling sat in the pit of Sasuke's stomach. "But shouldn't something have changed?"

Sakura regarded him with something resembling sadness in her eyes. "Do you want things to change?"

"No," Sasuke admitted. "But I feel like they should."

"I think I know what the problem is."

Sasuke looked up at that; it wasn't every day that someone assumed to know the mind of an Uchiha. "What is it?"

Pushing aside her plate, Sakura set her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. "How many other people know?"

What did that have to do with anything? "Just my parents," Sasuke answered, a tad nervously.

"And how did they take it?"

"Not very well," he admitted with a sigh. "They wouldn't talk to me for a whole week after I told them, and even when they stopped ignoring me, they refused to acknowledge the fact that… I'm…"

Seeing that he couldn't say it, Sakura supplied the word. "Gay."

Sasuke flinched, but the pink-haired girl ignored it. "You have some issues telling people you're gay since your parents took it so badly, which is why you expected me to shun you as well." At Sasuke's surprised and questioning look, she shrugged. "I'm going into psychology, so I've taken courses on early trauma affects later actions. It's one of my main interests."

Sasuke hmphed to conceal his discomfort at her accurate guesswork. "If you've finished analyzing me, can you just tell me what I should do, O Great Psychiatrist?"

"That's simple, really," Sakura said, placing both hands on the table. "You have to get over your fear by telling more people."

"No!" The shout came out before Sasuke could even think. "Absolutely not!"

"Why? It's not like you have anything to hide."

It was the pointed nature of the statement that cut through Sasuke's defenses, and he refused to look at Sakura, instead pushing away his half eaten plate.

"I should go."

To his surprise, however, Sakura caught his arm. "Oh, no, you don't! Sasuke, I hope that you would consider me a friend - so do the rest of us here in Konoha - and I'm not going to let you hide the hurt inside like that!"

It was not often that one could shock an Uchiha into silence, but Sakura managed it that day. Without further words, she dragged him out of the Hokage and down the street, and Sasuke was glad he had grabbed his satchel before heading to breakfast. After a few minutes, they came to a small park, where Ino, Tenten, and Choji were waiting for them.

"Sakura! You're late!" Ino called crossly, then she spotted Sasuke. "You brought Sasuke with you! You're forgiven."

Choji slapped Sasuke on the back as soon as Sakura dragged him into the huddle, and the blow nearly sent his sprawling. "She got you, huh? Yeah, Sakura has a tendency to drag people places. I've been on the receiving end of her 'persuasive walks' more than once myself."

For her part, Ino immediately plastered herself to Sasuke's side. "It's so great that you're here, Sasuke!"

So this was Sakura's game; she wanted him to confess his sexuality to drive Ino away. Sasuke would do anything to get away from the crazy girl, and Sakura knew it. Usually she held the blond girl in check, but today she was standing back and watching the exchange with a smirk, knowing she had won. Angry at himself, Sasuke realized that he had, again, been backed into a corner. However, this time he decided the he liked that these people were treating him as one of their own, instead of an unreachable figure, which is what he had been his whole life before coming to Konoha.

"Ino." Sasuke managed to pry the girl off of his side. "Please don't do that."

"But why?" The cheeky blond asked with a pout.

"Because… Because…" Sasuke faltered, then took a deep breath, all the words coming out in a rushed yell. "I don't appreciate you flirting with me because I'm gay!"

A stunned silence followed his words.

Tenten broke it. "Oh, Sasuke, I already knew."

"What?" Choji gave her a surprised glance. "How?"

"Let's just say I have a very good radar for these kinds of things."

Ino, for her part, appeared to still be in shock. "You… You're… Gay? As in, you don't like girls?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Sasuke answered, "No."

"Oh." Her shoulders sagged in dejection. "And I can't flirt with you anymore?"

"Please don't."

A sudden slap on his back nearly knocked Sasuke to the ground. "See, that wasn't so bad!"

Turning, he glared at Sakura. "No, but I would have preferred not to do it!"

She placed an arm around his shoulders. "But if you didn't say it, you would end up regretting keeping it a secret sometime or other. And doesn't it feel better to be out of the closet now?"

She was right; he did feel better now that the admission was out in the air. "I guess so."

"Excellent!" Sakura turned toward the rest of the group. "So, what should we do today? How about bowling?"

"Wait!" They all turned back to Sasuke. "That's it?"

Tenten frowned. "What, do you want flowers or something?"

"No! I mean, you're all okay with it? Just like that?"

"Of course!" Ino shouted, and Choji nodded in agreement. "You're still the same person, Sasuke. Why wouldn't we be fine with it? The only difference is I can't flirt with you anymore."

"Sasuke?" Sakura placed a hand on his arm. "Do you have anything you want to do today?"

Suddenly, something caught Sasuke's attention out of the corner of his eye, and he turned his head to find Naruto at the edge of the park, watching him with an unreadable expression, and he abruptly realized that there was something he wanted to do that day.

"Wait a minute," he told the group before jogging towards Naruto, who took off running in the opposite direction. He followed the ghost through a line of trees at the edge of the park, and found himself in some sort of labyrinth made of bushes and trees. Even though Sasuke knew Naruto was much faster than him, the ghost remained only a few paces ahead of him at all times so he wouldn't get lost.

Without warning, Naruto stopped running and turned around, and Sasuke almost crashed into him. He managed to stop himself in time, but the pair ended up nose to nose. An awkward silence reigned in the green maze.

It was Naruto who finally broke it. "You chased me."

"Of course I did! You ran!" Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. "You ran the day of the fight with Gaara, too."

"Only because I needed you to chase me."

The admission caught Sasuke off guard. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I needed you to chase me!" Naruto seized the collar of Sasuke's shirt in anger. "I've been chasing you since I first saw you, so I needed you to chase me back!"

"When?"

"All the time!" They were so close, their mouths almost touched, and their breath, which was coming in hard pants, mingled. "Every time I try to make you laugh in public, every prank I pull, every time I touch you, I'm chasing you! And all because I couldn't stop thinking about you since the day I noticed the line of salt and saw you asleep in that room, which, incidentally, was my room when I was alive!"

Gazing into the blue depths of Naruto's eyes, Sasuke suddenly found himself getting lost. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I like you, bastard! And I have since I first saw you! Is that so hard to understand?"

"No. No, it's not." Sasuke reached out to touch Naruto's cheek, but he jerked away, letting go of Sasuke's collar.

"And then you had the audacity to tell Sakura of all people that you were gay, and there I was in the background completely unnoticed. It hurt, Sasuke, and when I finally had you alone, I couldn't help myself. I kissed you, and then I hated myself for what I had done."

Sasuke didn't know what to think, but he knew that what he felt was something new, something exciting, and it scared him a little, but it also made him feel free. He took a step towards the phantom. "Naruto…"

He raised a hand to stop Sasuke. "Just… Stop. We should probably part ways here. It was nice meeting you, Sasuke, but-"

"You moron!" Sasuke quickly closed the distance between them and enfolded Naruto in a hug. "Damn it, I didn't want you stop! Didn't you notice?"

"You might not have wanted to stop, but you would probably have regretted it. I'm a ghost, Sasuke, and as much as I wish it was otherwise, I'm just not good enough for you."

"You complete idiot!" Sasuke angrily pulled Naruto forward and silenced him by pressing their mouths together. At first, Naruto was frozen, then he tried to pull away, but Sasuke held him tightly against his own body, and he relaxed into the embrace. When the kiss broke, they were both breathing heavily.

"Naruto, I feel the freest I've ever been when I'm around you," Sasuke confessed. "If you need me to, I'll keep chasing you, to make up for all the times you chased me, because I like you too."

To his surprise, Naruto laughed, a deep, throaty chuckle that made Sasuke's skin tingle. "I don't need you to chase me all the time. I'm more comfortable chasing you."

"Than chase me for as long as you want, so that whenever I turn around, you're the first thing I see."

Naruto smiled. "I can do that."

They stood staring at each other for a few seconds before Sasuke asked a question that had he had been wondering about. "So, how long have you know that you were gay?"

"Since I popped a boner when I walked in on a couple of guys getting it on in one of the Hokage's rooms a few decades ago. I had suspected it a for a while before, but that pretty much confirmed it."

"Ghosts can get boners?"

Naruto laughed at this. "Sasuke, I can do everything you can, but I haven't had a chance to in a long time. Being dead isn't exactly the best thing for your dating life, you know?"

A voice nearby called out, and immediately both ghost and human stiffened.

"Sasuke!" The Uchiha recognized the voice as Sakura's, and the girl soon came around the a bush. "Sasuke! There you are! We all got worried when you ran off! What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke answered, keeping his gaze locked on Naruto's.

"That's good. Did you want to come bowling with us?"

"Do it," Naruto said.

"Sure, I'd love to go bowling with you."

"Then come on! Everyone waiting!"

Sakura turned and started back, but Sasuke pulled Naruto close and sneaked in one last kiss before following her. From close behind him, Naruto whispered, "Go. I'll chase you, Sasuke."

So he did.

They spent the best day Sasuke had ever had together, finally freed from a burden he hadn't known he had been carrying. It was terrifying, yet exhilarating at the same time, and he found that he loved it. Choji no longer glared at him jealously when Ino got too close, Tenten smirked knowingly in a way that made him feel accepted, and Sakura dragged him places with a smile brighter than before. And throughout all of it, Naruto was beside him.

When Sasuke walked somewhere, Naruto walked right behind him. When he ate something, Naruto stole bits of it with a cheeky grin. When he sat down, Naruto would invariably sit down next to him, or, if there wasn't a lot of room, in his lap. Gone were the bad jokes and sexual innuendos trying to get a ride out of Sasuke in public. They were replaced with affectionate gestures: a gentle touch, a brush of butterfly lips against his hand, and once, with an impish smile, a tiny lick against his cheek. And they were all done in the presence of the other Konoha teens, placing new meaning to the phrase "secret boyfriend."

In the evening, they headed toward the gymnasium to watch the last event of Konoha Spiritual Week. Most of them had worked backstage in the other events, but this time Sakura insured him that tonight, all four of them would play a major part, and ordered him to watch carefully to find them.

Sakura gave Sasuke one last friendly punch in the shoulder - which had a little too much force behind it to normally be considered "friendly", but Sasuke knew that Sakura didn't know her own strength - before dragging the rest of the group backstage to get ready for the last, closing event of Konoha Spiritual Week.

"Get a good seat," was her last parting command before they were gone.

Alone and a little disconcerted about his newfound freedom, Sasuke walked to the back of the gymnasium, where Naruto was waiting for him. The phantom graced him with a smirk.

"How was your first day officially out of the closet?"

"I didn't know what to expect," Sasuke admitted. "No one's really known about me before. I was a little afraid at first, but I think it feels nice."

"You were afraid? You thought they'd just up and leave you?"

Sasuke's mouth dropped open, and he gave Naruto an accusatory glare. "You did!"

"That's different." Naruto clapped a hand over his heart melodramatically. "They were not left shaken by a substantial change in foundational philosophy, as I was!"

"Yeah, yeah. You kissed me, remember."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Lee floating in through a wall. "Oh! I- I'm sorry. Is my burning youth interrupting something?" He had taken to referring to his young ghost status as such after Sasuke had explained it to be the cause of his weak powers, almost as if he had found it to be a kind of perverse compliment.

"No," Sasuke said hastily.

At the same time, Naruto exclaimed hotly, "Yes!"

The two glared at each other for a few seconds before looking away from the object of their respective angers.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke changed the subject and asked of Lee, keeping his voice down so that the audience already occupying the gymnasium wouldn't hear him.

"Oh, we always come to the final night," Lee explained in an offhand manner.

"Why?"

Lee's answer was cut off by the appearance of Shino and Kiba, who floated through the wall a little further down, and made their way toward the group upon catching sight of them.

"Hey, dog boy!" Naruto and Kiba did an exuberant fist bump while Shino looked on in penates Sasuke thought was jealousy, but couldn't be sure because of the glasses. "Ya made it!"

"We almost didn't." Kiba hooked a thumb over his shoulder in Shino's direction. "This guy here got distracted by a butterfly. A butterfly! Can you believe it?"

Shino raised a delicate eyebrow. "Was that before or after your dog decided to crap on everything?"

Sticking out his tongue, Kiba replied impishly, "After. Definitely after."

Then, to Sasuke's complete surprise, Shikamaru floated languidly through the wall.

"Troublesome," he muttered upon catching sight of the group, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I don't even know why I'm here." And yet, he still was there. The lazy genius never went anywhere if he could help it, so Sasuke figured whatever was happening tonight must be important.

"Why are you all here?" Sasuke asked with genuine curiosity. "You didn't come to any of the other events."

All the ghosts glanced amongst themselves before Shino stepped forward. "The last performance is… special. All of us always attend it."

"Why?"

None of them looked like they wanted to answer, but they were spared from that fate by the beginnings of an announcement. Sasuke quickly took a seat in the back row so he could be near the phantoms, who all floated quietly in the back of the gymnasium with an air of trepidation that confused him. It was just a show; what did they have to be afraid about? And if they were afraid, why were they here?

"Greetings!"

Sasuke looked up at the man in the stage, and to his surprise, beheld the masked figure of Kakashi. His one eye twinkled darkly as his muffled voice boomed out over the speakers.

"Welcome to the final night of Konoha Spiritual Week! As per tradition, the final performance is done by the staff of the Hokage, the most haunted building in town. Some of you may know of our ghosts, and some of you may even have felt their presence while traversing the stories halls of the richest cultural spots in Konoha. But tonight, be prepared to be scared, because every word of these last tales are true."

Ah, that explained why the phantoms were here; they were, after all, ghosts of the Hokage, even if Naruto was the only one Sasuke regularly saw there. But why were they so nervous?

His question was answered as Kakashi announced the first ghost. "A little over ninety years ago, a boy lived with his family, the Inuzukas, who owned the Hokage at that time. That boy loved dogs so much that when he died, he became one of them. Kiba, the were-beast ghost!"

 _Wait. What?_

As Sasuke watched in astonishment, a person in a furry werewolf costume jumped onstage and growled. Several children in the audience started to cry, and in the back, Sasuke saw Shino squeeze Kiba's shoulder in comfort. On the stage, Kakashi kept talking about Kiba, but Sasuke's attention was riveted on the phantoms.

One by one, they got their turns, each being introduced by Kakashi, played by a person in a costume, and portrayed with such gross inaccuracy that it caused Sasuke's stomach to turn. Shikamaru, the lazy genius, was portrayed as cruel, manipulative monster who used his great intelligence to play harsh pranks on unsuspecting people, while Shino was called a pervert peeping Tom who hid behind dark glasses, and Lee wasn't mentioned at all. Surprisingly, he looked as hurt by this as the others were by their tales. As each one of them was called out and slandered, the others would offer some sort of comfort, whether a gentle touch or a weak smile.

Unable contain his horror, Sasuke's attention was called back to the stage by Kakashi's powerful voice. "The three ghosts of the Hokage: by themselves, they are not dangerous. No, it is their union, and their leader, which makes them a force to be reckoned with. And who is this wicked leader, you ask? A most fearsome tyrant is he, the only ghost in Konoha to gain the title of demon. Yes, the leader of the Hokage ghosts is none other than Naruto Uzumaki, the fox demon!"

This time, it wasn't a person who jumped onstage, but a group, dressed all in black and handling a massive stage puppet of a demonic looking fox. Sasuke recognized the people moving the arms as Ino and Tenten, and Sakura on the huge, bushy tail with Choji holding the creature up from the center. Naruto stood next Sasuke, looking stricken but trying to hide it, so Sasuke took his hand unobtrusively. The phantom started at the point of contact, then leaned down and settled his head in Sasuke's lap. A single tear trickled down and dampened a spot on Sasuke's pants, but he didn't complain. Naruto had been so dehumanized, he wasn't even allowed a person to play him, instead being faced with a monstrous puppet. If a single tear was all he would shed, Sasuke could offer him the contort of shedding it in peace.

The rest of the event was lost on Sasuke, because he could only focus on the distress of the ghost in his lap. In fact, he only realized it was over when Kakashi came up and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Did you like the show?"

Sasuke gave a noncommittal noise as Naruto sprang out of his lap.

Sakura and the other teens weren't far behind Kakashi. "Sasuke!" She chided. "I thought I told you to get a good seat?"

"I could see enough from back here." _More than enough, actually._

The rest of the audience had left, so Sasuke was left in seclusion with the owner and workers of the Hokage. Perhaps this was why he let his guard down, and was taken completely by surprise by Kakashi's next words.

"I know you can see them, Sasuke."

Sasuke jumped. "See what?" He asked nervously.

"The ghosts. And don't bother denying it; I've seen you when you thought no one was watching, talking to someone. I've been waiting for years for another Uchiha to come to Konoha."

"Another?" The word did not come out as a squeak. Uchihas did not squeak.

"A few decades ago, a man by the name of Uchiha came to Konoha and stopped a ghost who was destroying a lot of property," Sakura explained.

"Yes," Kakashi agreed. "And ever since I took over the Hokage and felt _his_ presence, I have tried to get another to come and do the same thing, even going so far as to advertise directly to personal secretaries of members of the Uchiha family. I know that _he's_ there."

Well, there was the reason their family vacation had been booked in Konoha. "Who?" Sasuke asked, trying to keep an innocent face.

"The demon Uzumaki."

All the phantoms looked up at this claim, and Sasuke would have had to resist laughter if the look in Kakashi's single eye hadn't been so frightfully sincere.

"Why do you think this…" Sasuke almost choked on the word, "Demon… is dangerous?"

"Weren't you listening to the presentation?" Kakashi placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Ever since the fire that destroyed the Uzumaki island and thus, their fortune, their clan has acted with hatred toward every other resident of Konoha. Even after death, the fox curse haunts the demon, and he is compelled to rebel against the people of their town."

"What would he gain from that?" Sasuke tried to scoff, but fear for Naruto made it get caught in his throat.

"Some kind of perverse enjoyment," Tenten stated, stepping forward.

Sasuke stared at her in surprise and disappointment. Kakashi was already strange, he knew that, but now it was coming from level-headed Tenten?

The masked man again addressed Sasuke.

"Inuzuka, Nara, and the others… We know they don't exist." He said this while Kiba stood at his elbow, scratching behind his ear. "But Naruto… He does. We've all found little things that he's done, and felt his murderous presence."

Sakura stepped up beside Kakashi, passing through an insubstantial Naruto as she did. "It's true. I know it seems crazy, but sometimes, I feel like he's following me. I can feel his breath against my neck."

Clutching onto Choji in a rare show of fear, Ino added, "And I've had things go missing or fall and break right in front of me, even if nobody touched them, and I just know it's him!"

"Please, Sasuke." Kakashi fixed the Uchiha with a piercing one-eyed glare. "Will you exorcise the demon Uzumaki?"


	11. The Meeting of Two Worlds

I know it's a little late, but don't worry I'm not abandoning this! I was just sick. Blah, I hate being sick. Anyway, I hope that the length and ending of the chapter makes up for it ;)

And **wideyedwander** : I beat you! One time I stayed up writing until 2:30 in the morning with a 5:30 wake up! Yeah, calculus at seven in the morning the next day was not very fun...

* * *

"Please, Sasuke." Kakashi fixed the Uchiha with a piercing one-eyed glare. "Will you exorcise the demon Uzumaki?"

 _No, this can't be happening!_ Sasuke thought in a panic. This was his vacation, his time to be with his family - though what a joke that had turned out to be - before going off to college and leaving the care of his parents forever. A thousand different reactions, a thousand different ways to divert the attention from himself flashed through his mind, but none of the options seemed like they were good enough to put Kakashi off his trail.

Finally, Sasuke settled on laughter as a way of escape. Letting out a chuckle he hoped was hearty and not nervous, he slapped Kakashi on the shoulder and gave a cheesy thumbs up to Sakura. "Alright, great joke, guys! Wow, you were so into it! Sakura, I never knew you were that good of an actor; you actually had me fooled for a minute or two."

"Don't lie to us, Sasuke." It was Tenten, and the level-headed girl fixed Sasuke with a disappointed frown. "Where did you disappear off to this morning?"

"A brief morning run," he invented on the spot, waving his hand around to try and show that it wasn't important."

Ino pouted even harder, if that was possible. "And what about all those times you laughed randomly or tripped over something or looked like you were paying attention to something else when you were out with us? What about that?"

"I do apologize about those; you see, I don't make friend easily, so I have bad social skills sometimes. I hope you'll all help me with this in the future-"

"Enough!" Sakura snapped, and Sasuke fell silent. Even the ghosts surrounding the group snapped to attention. "I didn't want to do this, Sasuke, but you've forced my hand."

Then, to Sasuke's horror, she drew out her phone and pulled up a video she had taken several days previously. It showed him walking along a gravel path, when suddenly a rock flew out of nowhere and hit him in the head.

" _Hey-! What the hell, man? That hurt!"_

The Sasuke in the screen appeared to be listening to something, but the Sasuke in real life was trying to look at anything but the glowing phone or the sheepish Naruto floating next to him.

" _That's it! It's payback, you moron!"_

Digital Sasuke picked up a different rock and threw it hard in the direction from which the original rock had come, face morphing into a triumphant smile, only to be wiped away by another unheard remark.

" _I did not miss you, dammit! It went through you!"_

Sasuke was unable to say anything, mind working to find a way, any way, out of this.

"Well?" Sakura asked after putting her phone away, the other Konoha teens and Kakashi backing her up with glares. "What do you have to say for yourself now?"

"I'm sorry," Naruto said from beside him.

There was one way out of this, a last resort that would be very embarrassing, but Sasuke knew he was backed into a corner. Sighing a little, he turned directly to Naruto and spoke, all the ghosts' and humans' eyes going wide.

"It's alright. They would have found out anyway."

"What?" Ino clutched onto Choji harder. "Is there something here?"

"Yes." Sasuke took a deep breath as if preparing for a confession. "You see, I have this imaginary friend that I've had since I was-"

"Sasuke!" This time, the shout came from both the humans and the phantoms, and Sasuke winced a little.

"Well, it was worth a shot," he muttered.

"Sasuke." Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're begging you. Please, can't you trust us?"

What was it with people from Konoha backing Sasuke into corners? It seemed to be hobby, or even an occupation, with most of them. Shaking his head, Sasuke finally gave in with a sigh and closed his eyes. When they reopened, he had dropped the happy, cheerful facade he had comfortably worn for the past week, and he fixed the others present with a piercing gaze.

"Very well. But I do not do this lightly." He crossed his arms across his chest. "Now, let us return to the Hokage and I will inform you of your ignorance." The last word was stressed, effectively communicating his frustration with the situation.

"Why the Hokage?" Choji asked with a frown. "Why not here?"

Drawing himself up, Sasuke glared at Choji with a gaze that demanded respect. "The clan of Uchiha is a proud one. I will not have our secrets divulged in a public gymnasium."

The abrupt change Sasuke had gone through had seemed to shake his audience, but it was only the revelation of his normal attitude. Still, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little guilty as he refused to say anything else, instead leading the group back to the inn where they all worked.

As soon as he pushed open the door to the back room, a harried Iruka, clearly waiting for Kakashi's return, stood up out of a chair. "What did he say? Did you-" Breaking off as soon as he saw Sasuke, Iruka colored and sat hurriedly back down.

"Don't worry, Iruka," Sasuke said in a monotone. "I knew you were in on it, so there's no need to pretend."

"Really?" The librarian seemed surprised. "I thought I hid it well enough- I mean, in on what? I'm just waiting here to talk to Kakashi."

"Save your breath." Sasuke crossed his hands over his chest. "He's already told me what he wants of me, so you can drop the act."

"And.. What is that?" Iruka asked nervously, still trying to get an handle on the situation.

"He wants me to… exorcise… a demon." The words left a bad taste in his mouth.

All the tension drained out of Iruka and he heaved a sigh of relief. "That's excellent. And you agreed? I was so hoping you would. You have no idea how hard it's been for us."

Immediately, the Uchiha's face closed and his eyes hardened. Glaring at all the people in the room, alive and dead, he announced frostily at large, "Wait here."

Without a backwards glance, Sasuke left the room and started up the stairs, but he could tell without looking that Naruto was following close behind him.

When the door of Sasuke's room closed after him, Naruto wrapped his arms about the human's waist and buried his face in the soft front of his shirt. Fear made his muffled voice tremble slightly. "Do you think they'll really try to do it? Exorcise me?"

"Not if I can help it."

Sasuke usually made it a point to not get involved in things that weren't his business - hell, every Uchiha did the same - but the residents of the haunted town had made this personal for him, invading his private life, attacking someone he cared about, and looking down upon ghosts with a resentment that would refuse to leave unless he did something to change it. They had forced his hand, and Sasuke was going to return fire with the biggest guns he possessed.

After Naruto let go of his middle, Sasuke dug in the bottom of his still unpacked suitcase to find a small jewelry box, made of burnished oak and decorated with small black patterns. Turning to Naruto, he asked simply, "Do you trust me?"

"I'd like to think that I can."

Ignoring the sting the words caused, Sasuke forged ahead. "Then I'm going to need your help."

Gesturing to the jewelry box, he explained his plan with concise words. When he was done, Naruto's mouth fell open.

"Are you crazy? The others will never agree to that!"

"That's why I'm going to need your help."

Naruto protested, but eventually gave in, and the pair departed the room and went back downstairs, where six people and four ghosts waited for them. Upon catching sight of the box in Sasuke's hands, the humans of the group took a nervous step back.

"What's in the box?" Iruka asked, a slight tremble gracing his voice.

"Jewelry."

"Jewelry?" Ino, at least, looked interested at this new development. "What kind of jewelry?"

"Bracelets, but they're not for you, and I have some explaining to do first."

An unseen frown creased the skin between Kakashi's eyes. "Then get on with it!" He said impatiently.

Going slowly to gauge the reaction of his audience, Sasuke started his tale. "As you all know, I'm part of a family known as the Uchiha, which is an old clan with special bloodline traits. Many older aristocratic families have them, from shapeshifting abilities to elemental control powers, but the Uchihas are special, being one of only two families with the ability to perceive the spiritual realm."

Sasuke paused his speech to study the humans listening to him. Every person, even the skeptical Tenten, was hanging off his words like they were a lifeline in an endless sea. In any other place, the claims he was making would have been laughed away or ignored completely, but here, they were all listening to him, believing him, even. To the phantoms, this was an endless source of amusement; Kiba kept jumping between Sasuke and his audience, and Shino smiled at his antics while Lee seemed to be fascinated with Sakura's reactions.

Shaking his head slightly, Sasuke opened the box and pulled out a bracelet, holding it up so the silver metal winked in the light from the overhead bulb. "Silver has special properties in conjecture with the spiritual realm. Ghosts who are more powerful have the ability to interact with things of the physical realm, but silver automatically interact with all ghosts, regardless of their power level. However, it also has the unfortunate side effect of burning them. Now, this is a simplification of things, but this bracelet is made with a special alloy of silver that won't harm a ghost, but will still interact with them physically. The catch is pure silver, though, so only a human can put it on or remove it. This is only one of the many objects my family has developed through the generations to make interactions with the supernatural community easier."

"It can interact with ghosts?" Ino asked with wide eyes.

Sakura asked the more pertinent question. "Does the fact that you have that bracelet mean there's somebody here?"

"No." Everyone visibly relaxed, only to tense up again at Sasuke's next words. "There's more than one 'somebody' here."

"How many?" There was a tremor in Ino's voice.

Instead of answering, Sasuke held out the bracelet to Naruto. "If you would?"

Naruto hesitated for a few heart-stopping moments, then extended his hand, and with gently fingers, Sasuke fastened the bracelet around his wrist. When he hands dropped away from Naruto's and the bracelet was left, to the other humans in the room, to seemingly dance in the air, unsuspected by anything, a gasp resounded and as one, they all huddled in the center of the room, looking around with frightened eyes.

"Holy shit," Choji whispered roughly.

Iruka had grabbed Kakashi's hand, but still had enough courage to reprimand the heavyset teen. "Language, Choji." Then Naruto waved, the bracelet, to them, seeming to jerk around in thin air, and he too jumped and swore. "Holy shit!"

Without speaking, Sasuke withdrew another bracelet from his box and extended it to Kiba. The dog-loving phantom immediately went nuts. "Are you kidding? No way! I'm never putting on one of those things!"

If there was to be one that gave him trouble, Sasuke had predicted it to be Kiba, which was why he had chosen him to go first. Once Kiba relented, the rest of the phantoms would soon follow.

"Oh, come on, it doesn't hurt! Right?"

Naruto brought the bracelet up to his eyes for a closer examination. "Yeah… It feels a little tingly, but no burning." He scratched his head. "No motor function impairment, either."

"See?" Sasuke extended the bracelet once more. "Please?"

Sasuke could see the wheels grinding inside Kiba's head before he finally gave in. "Oh, all right," he said with a sigh. "Just get it over with."

Before he could change his mind, Sasuke grabbed his wrist and fastened the bracelet to it.

Kiba gave a single full body shake at the contact. "I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it. You just have to wear it."

The rest of the bracelets went of without protest, but Sasuke did notice that his human audience recoiled a little more every time a new ghost was reviewed to their eyes. As soon as Shikamaru's was on, who was the last person to accept the bracelet because he thought thought it was troublesome, Kakashi almost groaned aloud.

"Five… I've had five ghosts living in my inn, and I've never even noticed!"

"Don't take it too personally. Most people wouldn't have noticed even to the extent that you did."

No one spoke then for the longest time, and Sasuke let the silence continue, knowing that it was helping the humans

"You've made your point," Kakashi said evenly after a while. "There are spirits here, and as none of us have been injured at work thus far, perhaps those spirits are not as malevolent as we once thought. However, that makes no difference to my request; I still want you to exorcise the demon Uzumaki."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in a challenge. "I'm not finished. If you want my help, you're going to have to follow my rules and do this my way."

"Fine." Kakashi agreed, folding his arms across his chest. "What do you want from us?"

"Respect."

"Respect?" Iruka looked flummoxed. "We respect you, Sasuke."

"Not for me." Sasuke jerked his head back toward the collection of ghosts, visible to the others only as a set of floating silver bracelets. "For them."

Ino wrinkled her nose. "Them? You mean, the ghosts?" Upon receiving Sasuke's glare, she looked around as if to gather support from the rest of the group, but no one seemed willing to speak out. A little more nervousness crept into her voice. "I mean, they're just impressions of people who died, right?"

Kiba started forward at that, but Shino grabbed him and held him back.

"Hold your peace," Sasuke snapped, and all the humans jumped at the harsh sound. With a grimace, Kiba did as he was bade and relaxed into Shino's chest.

Turning back to his human audience, Sasuke fixed them with a glare. "Open your minds! Spirits, like people, cannot be defined by simple rules. We can try to categorize them, but they will always surprise us. It is true that most ghosts at simple shadows of what they were in life, but here are always those rare few who retain certain aspects of their humanity. We like to call them phantoms, and standing in front of you are five phantoms that have more personality than some people I've met."

This time, it was Tenten who stepped forward to break the silence. "Does it make any difference if they have a personality? We still can't see them."

"Uncertainty begets fear," Sasuke explained, seeking to make them understand, "but familiarity leads to acceptance. If you learn to accept the spirits that live within the walls of the Hokage, they will cease to become frightening to you."

"But, the demon-"

"There's no such thing as demons. Malevolent ghosts are called draugrs, and they only form when a ghost haunts the site of his death, and usually are victims of a deadly violent crime. As all the Hokage phantoms were either victims of accidents or died of natural causes, and none of them on the grounds of this inn, on the whole, except for a few pranks, they're harmless."

"How do you know?" Kakashi asked, remaining remarkable critical of the situation considering that enough unexplainable things to make a normal person question his sanity had been thrust upon him in the last twenty minutes. "If they told you, they could have been lying."

"I know that," Sasuke said crossly, folding his arms across his chest. "I've been doing this for a lot longer than you. I did individual research in all of them to confirm their spectral state."

"Where?" Both Sakura and Naruto asked.

"And when?" Naruto added. His confusion was understandable; Sasuke had spent almost every waking moment in the presence of Naruto over the past week, and had been forced to sneak around to do the research behind his back.

"The library."

Naruto's eyes widened in understanding; he had often left Sasuke to his own devices in the library, knowing his attachment to literature.

Sasuke continued with a laugh. "Iruka even caught me the first time, but I was more careful after that."

A gasp was drawn from Iruka and his eyes widened as he made the connection. "The article about the two-headed cow you were reading! That's what you were doing that day? I thought you were just looking up something for personal curiosity's sake."

Kiba couldn't help snickering. "You could call it that."

Shooting a look at him, Sasuke ordered, "Behave."

All the people jumped, and Kiba made a face, but obeyed.

"Did someone… say something?" Immediately after voicing it, Sakura placed a hand over her mouth, as if she could take back the words.

"Yes." Sasuke gestured Kiba forward, who obeyed with a slight grimace. "As I said before, familiarity leads to acceptance, so I'm going to introduce you to the phantoms that live in the Hokage to help you better understand them."

"Do we have to?" Kiba whined.

Not even bothering to respond to the complaint, Sasuke grabbed his arm with the bracelet attached held it up in the air.

"This is Kiba."

Everyone drew back in fear.

"T-the were-beast?" Ino stuttered nervously.

"No. Kiba Inuzuka is not a were-beast; in fact, he looks much like you I do. He happens to keep a dog that is a descendant of the one he had when he was alive, but he posses no canine features."

One by one, Sasuke introduced the phantoms, explaining how each one was different from the descriptions used in the event earlier that night. Slowly, the people seemed to be warming up to the idea of knowing the ghosts, and were loosening from their huddle.

After all but Naruto had been introduced, the people had spread out enough for the phantoms to come between them, and were poking at the bracelets, gasping when one of them moved.

Sakura, watching Sasuke, spied Naruto's bracelet next to him. "Who's that?" She asked, pointing to Naruto.

Sasuke took Naruto's wrist with the bracelet and held it aloft. "This is Naruto Uzumaki, an unassuming ghost who you insist upon branding as a demon."

Everyone took a hurried, terrified step back.

"That's the Uzumaki ghost?" Kakashi asked in fear.

Well, at least they had stopped calling him a demon. "Yes, this is Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous ghost and a personal friend of mine, and if anyone has a problem with it, they can take up with me."

All the humans hung their heads as they thought the matter over. Sasuke almost held his breath; he had given them the tools, but could they now get rid of their ingrained hatred?

Ino was the first to respond. "Then they aren't dangerous? Any of them?" She asked, poking at Lee's bracelet, who appeared to be enjoying teasing her.

Sasuke shook his head. "None of the ghosts that live here are dangerous, no. Ghosts usually only attack if provoked, anyway, and you've done nothing to annoy them."

Kakashi appeared to be smiling beneath his mask. "That's a relief, at least. I was worried about the black cloaks with the red clouds on them."

The words froze Sasuke to his core, setting a sinking sensation flooding through his gullet. "What did you say?"

"Black cloaks with red clouds," Kakashi repeated. "I've seen them moving through the town sometimes and thought they might have been dangerous, but you said ghosts don't attack unless provoked, so-"

Breaking out of his frozen state, Sasuke leaped up and grabbed Kakashi's shirtfront. "Are you sure?"

"Of what?"

"The red clouds!" Sasuke released Kakashi's shirtfront, only to round on him again. "How can you see them? You can't see ghosts!"

A little sheepishly, Kakashi admitted, "Actually, I can, but only in one eye. I kept seeing people that walked right through things, and it was driving me crazy, so I covered up the eye and haven't seen one since."

"Show me," Sasuke demanded. Although he appeared a little reluctant, Kakashi heard something in Sasuke's tone that convinced him to follow the order, and he slipped the mask off his covered eye, carefully leaving the rest of his face covered.

When closed, the eye had a scar across the lid, clipping throughout eyebrow and ending below the eye itself. In answer to an unasked question, Kakashi said, "It was given to me after I lost my real eye in an accident. I don't know where it came from."

Everyone, ghosts and people, gathered with bated breath around Akashi, waiting for him to open his eye. Slowly, the lid flickered and began to move upward, and a collective gasp was drawn.

The eye was red, not just bloodshot, but actually red, the pupils a vibrant bloody shade with black flecks breaking up the monotony. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Sasuke recognized it: It was a Sharingan eye, the kind that the Uchiha clan possessed. Though how an Uchiha eye had been given to Kakashi as a replacement after an accident, he didn't know.

For the first time in his life, Sasuke started to shake. If Kakashi had a Sharingan eye, then he really could see ghosts through that eye, and he had been telling the truth about the black cloaks with red clouds. Stumbling backwards, Sasuke found a chair and sank down in it, covering his own eyes as if he could block out the sight and the implications it brought with it.

"Sasuke! Are you alright?" Naruto cried, grabbing tight to his arm and holding on in an attempt of comfort that Sasuke was grateful for.

He wasn't the only one who noticed; Sakura also started toward Sasuke, but stopped just shy of touching him when she noticed the silver bracelet next to his arm. "Sasuke? Is something wrong?"

"This whole town is wrong!" If Sasuke wasn't an Uchiha, he might have been ripping out his hair in frustration. "Everything here is messed up! Why? Why is everything so wrong?"

"Sas-"

He held up a hand to stop her, frantically holding on to his self-control. "Everyone… should probably just leave now."

"Why?" Choji started forward. "What's going on? What about the black cloaks with red clouds?"

"They're nothing important," Sasuke managed to say, a foul taste pervading his mouth.

"But-"

"Just go!" He shouted.

Shocked, Choji stepped back.

Feeling a little guilty, Sasuke grasped back onto what self-control he could find. "There's only so many surprises a person can take in a day. You'd be best to sleep on what I've told you so far. In the morning, if you still want to know, I'll tell you."

At that exact moment, Kiba, who had been messing with the latch in his bracelet, snatched his hand away and began jumping up and down, cradling an injured finger. "Motherfucker, that hurt!"

"I told you the latches were made out of pure silver. Only a human can undo it." Pushing his hair out of his eyes, Sasuke fixed the hyper ghost with a knowing glance. "Unless you feel like losing a finger, I wouldn't try that again."

Shikamaru heaved a heavy sigh. "I can't undo it with telekinesis, either."

"Of course not," Sasuke scoffed. "Do you think we would go through all the trouble to invent something like this, and leave that major flaw? The alloy is also resistant to telekinesis."

Scowling, Kiba extended his wrist to Sasuke. "Then, can you take it off of me?"

Sasuke considered for a bit, then shook his head. "No, I don't think I will."

"What!?" Kiba screamed. "Are you kidding? I'm not going to walk around with this girly thing on my hand for the rest of my- well, not life, but you know what I mean!"

"You won't have to," Sasuke said tiredly. "It'll just be for a few more days, until they get more used to you. I'll take it off then."

Muttering a few choice swear words under his breath, Kiba stormed out of the room. Meeting eyes with Shino through his dark glasses, he and Sasuke exchanged a nod of understanding before the ghost followed Kiba out of the room. Idly, Sasuke wondered if there was anything between the two, considering the fact that they were always together.

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Sasuke turned back to the people, who were watching his exchange with the population of the room invisible to them. "I'm serious; you all think you're taking this well, but I can see it in your eyes. You've all partially gone into shock, which is why you feel so calm. Sleep on it, and we'll reconvene tomorrow. If you still want to know, I'll tell you then."

"Fine." Kakashi surprised him by agreeing. "Home, everybody. Your parents are going to be angry enough at me for keeping you out this late. Sakura, Ino: I'll see you bright and early tomorrow. The rest of you, we'll keep in touch. Is that clear?"

All the teens started to protest. "But, Kakashi-"

Fire flashed in Kakashi's single eye, him having covered his other eye back up. "I said, is that clear?"

"Yes, Kakashi," they all chorused unenthusiastically.

Eye twinkling in a smile, he practically shoved them out the door, and Sasuke shook his head in amazement, impressed at the way he handled the unruly group of teenagers. "Good. See you tomorrow!"

After the door was shut firmly behind him, Kakashi went back and stood next to Iruka,a nod the two men touched their foreheads briefly. "Well, that was interesting."

"You could say that again."

Suddenly uncomfortable at the blatant display of affection, Sasuke sprang out of his chair. The two men, as if just then realizing he was still in the room, pushed apart, Iruka blushing heavily.

"I think I'll take my own advice," Sasuke said to the pair, Kakashi looking amused and Iruka looking embarrassed. "See you in the morning, Kakashi."

He started up the stairs, feeling Naruto slip a hand into his own. Halfway up the stairs, though, Iruka stopped him with a call. "Sasuke… there's someone following you."

Glancing down, Sasuke saw the bracelet on Naruto's wrist, which was what Iruka was seeing. "I know."

Kakashi suddenly grinned, the action visible only in his squinting eye. "Sasuke…"

"What?" He asked, a little crossly.

"You sly dog!"

Iruka gasped, scandalized at the implication. "Kakashi!"

The masked man shrugged. "What? I'm just saying what I think."

Sasuke, who had frozen in shock at the accusation, melted just enough to point his nose in the air. "Good night, Kakashi." He started back up the stairs, but didn't let go of Naruto's hand.

A hearty chuckle floated up after Sasuke, but he ignored it.

When he pulled Naruto through the door and closed it after them, the first thing the ghost did was press his lips against Sasuke's own.

"Sasuke," he whispered after breaking the kiss. "What does the black cloaks with red clouds mean?"

Sasuke heaved a sigh; the others he could divert, but he should have expected that Naruto, at least, was going to want an explanation. "Akatsuki," he whispered.

A crease appeared between Naruto's eyes as he frowned. "What's Akatsuki?"

"Another branch of ghosts, very rare, like phantoms are." Sasuke passed a hand in front of his eyes. "Akatsuki are a kind draugr, but a very specific, bloodthirsty kind. They tend to band together once they find more of their own kind, and wear black cloaks with red clouds to distinguish themselves and strike fear into the hearts of their beholders."

"What qualifies a ghost as a member of an Akatsuki group?"

"Akatsuki are the ghosts of serial killers." Sasuke paused to let that sink in before continuing. "It was a former member of an Akatsuki group that drove my older brother insane."

Strong, firm arms wrapped around his waist, offering comfort. "That's why you were so weird earlier, when Kakashi mentioned the cloaks. It must bring up bad memories for you."

Chuckling darkly, Sasuke reciprocated the hug. "You have no idea."

They stayed like that for a few moments before Sasuke pulled back with a sigh. "If there really is Akatsuki here, I can't deal with them myself. As much as my pride hurts to say it, I'm going to have to call for backup."

Naruto stood back as Sasuke pulled out his phone and started dialing his father's number. Just before he hit call, though, his eyes narrowed. His father hadn't wanted to come to Konoha in the first place, and having Sasuke try to drag him out here would only cause a fight he didn't want to deal with. Slowly, he canceled the call and lowered his phone. If he didn't call his father, who could he call?

There was only one other, and he hadn't wanted to go that route. Still, it seemed to be his only option, so Sasuke scrolled through his contacts until he found one simply labeled "Hyuuga", placed there by a boy his own age whom he had met by chance several years previously. The boy had given him a number, but Sasuke had never called before, so he wondered if the call would even be answered.

With a slight tremble went through his fingers as he hit call. The ringtone sounded twice in his ear before someone the other end picked up.

"H-hello?" It was a young teenage girl's voice, stuttering cutely. "Who is th-this?"

"Hyuuga," Sasuke exclaimed, the only thing he could think of to say. "I need to speak with Hyuuga."

Suspicion crept into the girl's voice. "H-how did you g-get this n-number?"

"It was given to me. Please, I need to speak with Hyuuga."

"Which one?" The girl asked, still sounding suspicious, but not enough to hang up. "This is the Hyuuga's main residence, and there are many Hyuugas that live here."

Shit! Sasuke hadn't been expecting that. At first, he had thought the number was a cell number and the girl might have been his girlfriend, but it was probably his sister or something. Racking his brains, he came up with a description of the man he was looking for. "Um, I don't have a name, but he's probably about eighteen or twenty now, and has really long, dark hair."

"That would probably be my cousin, Neji."

Now that he was thinking about it, Neji sounded right to Sasuke. "Most likely. Can I speak to him? Please?"

"Just a minute. I'll go get him."

Sasuke heard the phone being set down, then the girl's pattering footsteps as she called out. "Neji! There's someone on the phone for you!"

A minute or so later, a heavier set of footsteps approached the phone, and a deeper, male voice answered with suspicion. "Who is this, and why do you have this number?"

"Uchiha," Sasuke answered. "You gave me this number a couple years ago."

"Who?" Anger lay in the voice now. "If I don't like your answer, I'll trace the call and hunt you down for hacking into a secure system."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke explained quickly and concisely. "We met approximately two years ago in Chicago, during March. It was during a storm, and we both ended up having trouble with a female figure who we ended up helping fade. That jog your memory? You gave me the number in case I ever needed to contact you."

Surprisingly, a chuckle was heard through the phone. "Oh, the Uchiha asshole." Sasuke bristled a little at that. "I'd almost forgotten about you. This obviously isn't a social call, so just tell me what you want."

Clenching his phone a little harder, Sasuke admitted, "I need your help."

There was a pause before Neji spoke again. "Continue."

Quickly, Sasuke explained about the excess of spiritual energy in Konoha, and how he had ended up there alone. When he was done, he could almost hear Neji shaking his head.

"That's not bad; I don't see why you would need my help."

"That's not all of it. The draugrs are really dangerous; one almost killed me in the first few days I was here. I've also seen five phantoms, three of them approaching a hundred years old and one well past that, and they've told me of ghosts who were older than them. One of the phantoms gave me a direct assurance that he has never seen or heard of a ghost fading within the town limits for as long as he has been here, and I believe him." Sasuke paused to take a breath before delivering the final blow. "And there's been a possible Akatsuki sighting."

"Jesus!" Neji almost shouted into the phone. "And you're there alone?"

"Other than the phantoms, some teenagers blind to the spirit world, and a man who somehow received a Sharingan eye as a transplant after an accident… yeah. Completely alone."

"You're in deep shit," Neji remarked.

"Tell me about it."

"What do you want from me?"

Sasuke hesitated. This was the most critical part of the discussion. "Backup. My dad wouldn't come even if I asked him to. I want another pair of eyes in case I miss something important."

A pause was heard before Neji spoke again. "In other words, you want me to come out to Konoha and be your second pair of eyes."

With a little trepidation, Sasuke answered,"Yes."

A sigh reverberated through the phone. "Alright, you got your backup. I have some loose ends to tie up here, then I can be out there in two days."

"Seriously?" Had Neji just agreed to his plan? Had it really been that easy?

"Unless you don't want me to come," Neji answered back testily.

"No, I do," Sasuke amended. "I just didn't expect you to say yes so quickly."

"I'll tell you what, Uchiha: you're not the only one with family issues. Sometimes I'd do anything to get away from them."

A chill went down Sasuke's spine. "How did you know about…"

He trailed off, and Neji interrupted. "I don't. Not officially, at least, but rumors fly. See you in a few days, Uchiha."

"Yeah. A few days, Hyuuga." Sasuke was about to hang up when Neji's voice stopped him.

"Wait! Um, I'll have to bring my younger cousin, Hinata, with me. She was the one who picked up the phone when you called. I'm taking care of her right now, and she's supposed to stay with me. Is that alright?"

"Should be fine," Sasuke agreed. "Can she…?"

"See ghosts? Only a little. She's training under me, which is why she has be come with me at all times." His voice grew stern. "But I don't want her seeing any dangerous action, do you hear me?"

"I understand."

"Good." Neji's voice turned businesslike again. "Then goodbye for now, Uchiha. I'll see you in a few days." And with a _click_ , he hung up.

"Did it go well?" Naruto asked from his perch, floating upside down over the bed.

With a scowl, Sasuke shooed him away from the bed. "Yeah. I've got some backup heading here. Until he arrives, it would be best to lay low." He shook his head in admiration at fate. "I can't believe I haven't run into Akatsuki before, if they really are here. The Hyuuga, when he arrives, will be able to tell for sure."

Sasuke collapsed into the bed fully clothed, kicking off his shoes. "Man, I'm tired. Today was such a long day. It started off with a confession of my sexuality and ended with a confession of my heritage." Naruto floated down next to Sasuke and snuggled against his side. "And somewhere in the middle, this happened," he said, gesturing to their touching bodies.

Naruto looked up at him with large eyes. "Did you not want it to?"

"No, I wanted it to…" Sasuke brushed some blond strands away from Naruto's face. "It just took me by surprise, a little. I didn't really know what I was feeling until it hit me with enough force to send me completely on my ass."

"Hm." Smirking a little, Naruto leaned in to give Sasuke a kiss on his cheek, but Sasuke turned his face at the last second to catch Naruto's lips with his own. The kiss was different than the others they had shared, holding more passion than the quick pecks of the afternoon, but not quite so burning and needy as their first kiss, and when it broke, they were both breathing heavy, but not panting.

A light blush staining his cheeks, Naruto asked nervously, "Sasuke?"

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, slipping his arm around Naruto's shoulders to pull him closer.

"Can I… sleep with you tonight?"

The question threw Sasuke for a second. "But… ghosts don't fall asleep."

Naruto flushed further. "I know. I just want to be near you when you sleep."

A silence pervaded the room as Sasuke thought. Sleeping with another person wasn't something he ever did, never having sleepovers because he had no friends. The last time he had shared a bed with someone else, he had been five and had crawled in Itachi's bed after a nightmare. But this was Naruto, and he would do anything for Naruto. "Alright," Sasuke said finally.

A wide grin split Naruto's face. "Really?"

"Yeah, sure."

Sasuke threw off the covers to his bed, then climbed in, Naruto copying his actions on the opposite side of the bed. At first, is was an awkward jumble of bodies, limbs tangling around and neither boy able to get comfortable. After Sasuke kicked Naruto roughly in the shin, the ghost drew back, wincing.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," he said regretfully, and made to stand up, but Sasuke caught his wrist, the one with the silver bracelet.

"Wait. Let me try something."

Slowly, Sasuke entwined their fingers, feeling the bracelet bump against his own wrist as he pulled Naruto's arm flush against his own. Using this appendage, he reeled Naruto in closer to him, until their mouths were a scant breath apart, then he brought his other hand up behind Naruto's neck and closed the distance between them.

The kiss started slowly, like the one a scarce minute before, but soon heated up past blistering. Naruto let his hand trail into Sasuke's hair, only seize a handful of it and hold on as Sasuke let his tongue trace the seam of Naruto's lips, seeking entrance, which was soon granted. Meeting Sasuke's rolling tongue with a trust of his own, Naruto sought to dominate the Uchiha, who allowed it for a little while, enjoying the taste of the inside of the phantom's mouth, until Sasuke abruptly rolled over, pinning Naruto softly beneath him.

Now it was his turn to dominate, and Naruto allowed Sasuke complete control over the kiss, letting him pillage his mouth like a greedy dragon at a treasure hoard. Alternating between bruising pressure and gentle licks that almost broke the contact between them, Sasuke proceed to drive Naruto wild, who could only hold on for the ride. The hand with the bracelet trailed down Sasuke's back, and he felt the chill of the metal touch his skin at the base of his spine, where his shirt had ridden up. He responded by dragging his own hand along the curve of Naruto's shoulder and down his chest, pressing up under his shirt to touch the feverishly hot skin of his stomach.

"Ah- Sasuke!" Naruto moaned into the kiss, and responded by reaching up the back of Sasuke's shirt to feel the rippling muscles of his back.

With an almost animalistic growl, Sasuke broke the kiss for just a second as he reared back to rip his shirt off, then he dove back down into Naruto's waiting embrace. His fingers shook a little as he tried to undo the buttons on Naruto's shirt, but the ghost pushed his hands away and did it himself, somehow managing to make the entire shirt disappear.

"How…?" Sasuke asked, not feeling very articulate.

A seductive smirk graced Naruto's face. "Powers, remember. Now, are you gonna get on with it?"

Not needing any more encouragement, Sasuke leaned down to press a kiss against Naruto's chest, tracing his collarbone with his teeth. Letting out a gasp, Naruto brought his hands up to sit in Sasuke's hair, keeping his mouth firmly against his skin. Sasuke grinned a little against Naruto at the action, then nipped his soft neck gently. Naruto gasped again, but didn't push him away, so Sasuke bit down harder, using enough force to leave a mark that would still be there in the morning. All of a sudden, Naruto bit Sasuke on the shoulder in response, then drew back and licked it as if apologizing for the hurt.

Emboldened by the move, Sasuke started sucking hard in the crook of Naruto's neck in encouragement, hoping Naruto would bite down on his shoulder again. He didn't, but he trailed his lips up to Sasuke's ear and shyly flicked the tip of his tongue against the lobe, which was just as good. Releasing one more growl against the skin of Naruto's neck, Sasuke pressed a final kiss against the abused spot before rearing up above the ghost.

What Sasuke saw stopped him. Naruto was flushed, eyes misted over and love marks already forming on his neck, and Sasuke knew that he didn't look any better. With a start, Sasuke realized that unless they intended to go further, they needed to stop what they were doing.

As if sensing Sasuke's thoughts, Naruto's eyes cleared and his blush faded, then he reached a hand out, and with a simple hand gesture, flicked the lights off using his telekinesis. In the dark, he settled next to Sasuke, curling against his bare chest, and Sasuke found that it no longer felt awkward. Their limbs fit gently together like a set of jigsaw puzzle pieces, and Sasuke pressed his lips to Naruto's forehead in a gesture of affection.

"Good night, Naruto."

Just as sleep was about to claim him, he neared Naruto whisper it back.

"Good night, Sasuke."


	12. A Life Behind Bars

This ones a little bit of a change of pace. I wanted to explore this story from another angle, so that's what this chapter entails.

Happy reading!

* * *

In the Psychiatric Ward of a Chicago Hospital

If one was blind, did it matter if the padded white room one resided in didn't even have white walls? It was a question Itachi had pondered for much of his eight years of psychotic imprisonment, and he finally had come to the conclusion that, yes, it did matter. It was the principle of the issue: if a padded white room did not have white walls, then how could it be trusted to hold in the crazed lunatics that it was supposed to detain? It didn't matter that Itachi had never seen the color of the walls of his cell or asked someone else to tell him. He simply believed that the walls were white because they were soft, which he had discovered after spending the first few weeks of his imprisonment slamming and clawing at them.

When he had calmed down enough to ponder the implications of the white walls, Itachi had seen them as a kind of comfort. White padded walls were cages for lunatics. Itachi was a lunatic. Therefore, the walls of Itachi's cell were white. He needed the mental assurance that they were white, otherwise, how could he trust them to lock him up safely, to slowly drain away his insanity until there was nothing left but a lifeless shell, unable to bring more harm to the people he loved?

Yes. The importance of the padded walls being white was very great.

After a few months of solitary confinement, most of which had taken place in a straight jacket, Itachi had finally calmed down enough to hold rational conversations, and he had been allowed visitors. First it had been the nurses, who had fed and bathed him - God, had that been embarrassing - than the doctors who came to ask him questions instead of simply watching through a camera lense - bet they got off on it too, the perverted bastards - and then finally, his father.

That was a hell in and of itself, those visits from his father. Even though he was blind, Itachi could still see the disappointed expression on his face. The first time he had heard those footsteps enter his room and the familiar voice, curt and rough, had cut through the haze of his brain, Itachi had gone wild, throwing himself in his father's direction and screaming, even after the doctors had pulled his father from the room, and continuing to fight until he had been sedated to the point of unconsciousness. His father hadn't been allowed back for a long time after that, but he was still the CEO of the hospital and held enough power to fire any one of the doctors, so they let him come back.

The cocktail of drugs he was on had made Itachi into almost a zombie, and the doctors had congratulated themselves on a job well done, for they had tamed an untamable beast! When his father came to visit him now, he was docile, almost unresponsive, but just far enough away from vegetative that the treatment was allowed, until the day Itachi had been clearer than normal, and had grasped his father's hand when he had reached to touch his son's arm.

"Please," Itachi had begged in a moan. "Please, don't let them put anything else in me. Have I no dignity left?"

Immediately, Itachi's father gave the order to stop the administration of all drugs to his son. The doctors had objected, of course; it was dangerous, now that Itachi was addicted to the mixture of chemicals they had pumped through his blood, and if they stopped, the withdrawal might kill him. Still, Itachi insisted and his father listened, so he was taken off the drugs.

The next few months were absolute hell as Itachi's body rebelled against the lack of drugs, and he spent most of it confined in a different room, writhing against the bed he had been trapped against. When it was over and his mind was clearer, however, nobody had expected how well he began to do.

Almost immediately, his crazed ravings stopped, and he was able to hold normal conversations with everyone who visited him, including his father. Shards of his original personality returned, bringing with them sarcasm and wit, but hardly ever a real smile. This was, after all, an existence, not a life.

Itachi had ceased needing to be restrained, but he still sometimes had fits that left him screaming and shaking in a seizure. As the years went by, those fits few increasingly farther apart, but they still happened, and each time Itachi would have to be sedated, something he loathed. Still, he was just glad that he no longer felt like an volatile animal kept in a cage.

Eight years had now passed since that fateful day when Itachi had torn out his eyes, and he was existing quite comfortably in his padded white cell. Over his ruined eyes, a bandage of sorts had been placed, to save him the horror of having a terrible scar visible across his face, not that Itachi cared. He was, after all, blind.

Itachi had been awarded puzzles and games on the grounds of good behavior that were made out of big blocks of wood, so he could feel the pieces and not have to see them, and he used these to stave off insanity caused by boredom. Pun intended.

He had improved enough that sometimes interns and medical students were even given permission to see him and use him as part of their training. They often stuck their noses in the air and asked better than him, so Itachi enjoyed throwing the conceited bastards for a loop. Once upon a time, he had been a medical student, too.

All in all, it was a satisfactory existence. The room was comfortable now that he wasn't stark raving mad anymore, with a bed against the far wall, a small round table where he took his meals and two wooden chairs to match, and a couch for lounging, though he hardly ever used it. It was hard to read a book when one was blind. At least there were no ghosts to bother him anymore, which was the most comforting thing about his cell, and the real reason that he had recovered so much over the years.

Or, there used to be no ghosts to bother him.

One day, as Itachi was tugging at the interlocking parts of a wooden ball to try to get it apart and reach whatever was rattling inside, a young girl's sweet little giggle interrupted his puzzling. Itachi wouldn't necessarily call himself 'cured' of his insanity, but he had progressed beyond the point where he would break into a fit at the mere sound of a ghost's voice. The cameras trained on him, he had long since learned, had been switched to video but not audio, since a blind, almost-sane man was going to talk to himself and he had been deemed well enough not to require the added security, so he kept his head down and appeared to focus on his task while talking to the ghost with as few lip movements as possible.

"Who are you?"

"Nobody important," the girl sighed. "No one want to talk to me, so I must not be important. Is that true? People talk to you sometimes, so I know you're important."

"I suppose," Itachi mused. "How long has it been since somebody talked to you?"

"Since I died, about five years ago." A pout could be heard in the girl's voice. "Even big brother Kissy doesn't talk to me anymore, even though I follow him all the time."

Well, at least the girl knew she was dead. Child ghosts were often the hardest to deal with. "Kissy?" Itachi asked, referring to the brother she had mentioned before.

"Kisame. He works here now, and he's going to come see you tomorrow. I wanted to come talk to you first, even though I thought you wouldn't be able to see me."

So Kisame was going to be his new nurse, the last one having reached retirement age and decided to stop putting up with Itachi's sarcastic nature. Since then, a stream of temporary nurses had traveled in and out of his room, but the local gossip had told him that his new permanent nurse was being assigned tomorrow.

"I can't see you, girly," Itachi said, tugging on a wooden piece that slid out of the ball with a sharp click. One down, fifty or so to go. "I'm blind."

"Oh!" The girl seemed sorry to hear that. "But you can hear me?"

"No, I can't hear you. I'm just guessing what you're saying and then responding to it."

"Really?"

Clearly, the girl had not heard of sarcasm before she died. Itachi let out a sigh. "Of course I can hear you. And I'd be able to see you, too, if I still possessed my sight."

"Wow."

It was becoming irritating to just have a girlish giggle and simpering voice for the identification of the ghost, so Itachi ventured another question as he pulled another piece from his wooden ball. "What's your name, girly?"

"Me?" The girl tittered. "Oh, I don't know. Nobody talks to me anymore because I'm not important, so I've forgotten my name. I do remember that Kissy called me Button, though, but I don't know why. I think he's forgotten, too." Sadness overtook her tone. "I follow him all the time, but he never talks to me. Am I not important enough?"

Itachi had blocked the information from his mind a long time ago, but it was slowly trickling back. The girl was obviously a specter, which he could tell from the way she kept repeating herself, and she had latched herself onto her older brother, Kisame, instead of a physical location. Such a thing was rare, but not unheard of, and Itachi suddenly pitied the man he hadn't yet met, imagining how having a dead ten year old hanging around messed with his sex life.

The girl kept rambling on about importance and her brother Kissy, but Itachi tuned her out, succeeding in pulling out another four pieces from the wooden puzzle ball before the door opened and a pair of familiar footsteps echoed through the room.

Shit. Itachi hadn't realized that his father was coming to visit him today.

The door closed and the footsteps got halfway across the room before stopping abruptly. "Itachi.… You know that there's…"

"A ghost in my room?" Itachi supplied. "Yeah, I noticed. Low class specter, attached to a worker who's going to be my new personal nurse starting tomorrow. Nothing to worry about."

"I'm not worried about her," his father said, coming toward the table Itachi was sitting at and placing a hand over his to stop the movement jiggling the puzzle pieces. "Are you alright with her being here?"

Annoyed, Itachi snatched his hand out from underneath his father's. "Why wouldn't I be? She never did anything to me."

"Well, I thought… since… you know, it was a ghost… who…"

"It wasn't some specter who drove me to this, Father," Itachi said with a snarl. "It was when a former Akatsuki draugr decided to ensnare me in a nightmarish hellhole that some part of my mind snapped and I decided that I would be better off without my sight. Now, leave me alone! Weren't you going on vacation?" He sneered the last part, but in reality, he longed for those times when his father was gone, when he didn't waltz into his room every other day as if he owned it. No matter that he actually did own it. Technically, he owned the whole hospital.

"We canceled," he said shortly. "I felt that I couldn't leave you alone for the whole summer, so your mother and I are staying behind."

This left the unspoken thought that Sasuke was going without them. As much as he hated his father, Itachi was glad that he knew his son well enough to not mention the youngest member of the Uchiha family. As much as Itachi had healed after his incarceration, he was still not ready to face the reality of what he had almost done to his brother.

A comfortable silence overtook the room as Itachi went back to his puzzle and his father sat down opposite him, watching the blind man struggle with the wooden ball. He reached out a hand to help his son, but Itachi slapped it away. This was his existence, and this was his game, and he was going to win it, if only because he had nothing else to strive for.

Just as Itachi felt like he was about to solve it, his father spoke again. "You should try to help her fade, you know."

The answer to the puzzle slipped out of his grasp, and Itachi slammed his hands down on the table. "Jesus! What the hell do you think got me into this place, Father? Let me tell you, it wasn't butterflies and rainbows!"

"Itachi, listen-"

"No!" Itachi screamed, standing up and knocking his chair over backwards. "You listen to me! This is your fault! Help the ghost fade, you said. It's just an obsessive figure; you can handle it. Well, that obsessive figure turned out to be an Akatsuki draugr, and I had to fight him with a single shitty silver knife and a vial of holy water that didn't even work on the atheist bastard! I'm lucky - or unlucky, depending on how you look at it - that the only thing I lost that day was my mind!" When he finished, he was panting, his hands splayed against the table, and he knew that he would find his tendons to be whitened with tension if he could see them.

The quiet, monotonous voice of his father filled the sudden silence. "Are you quite finished?"

The absolute lack of reaction drew all the anger from Itachi and left in its place simmering despair. "Get out."

"Itachi-"

"Get out!" Itachi roared, pointing in the direction he prayed the door was in.

Not another word was uttered, but the chair across from Itachi slowly scraped across the floor and it was pushed back from the table, then footsteps receded from him and walked toward the door. It was only when he heard the click of the lock latching itself did Itachi relax, his arm drooping from its pointing position to lay against the table. Turning, he found the chair by colliding his shin into it, and he struggled to pick it up before setting it down in front of the table and resuming work on his puzzle.

Less than a minute later, Itachi pulled a single piece out of the puzzle ball, and the whole thing collapsed into a pile of wooden pieces, revealing what had been inside. With trembling fingers, Itachi pulled it out, feeling it all over to discover its identity. It was a baby's rattle.

A child's toy. For some reason, it made twisted sense to the broken Uchiha. A child's toy for the child, the lunatic locked in a cage. That's all Itachi was.

As if to accentuate his newfound misery, the little dead girl giggled.

* * *

The next day found Itachi in a better mood, but not by much. During the night, the rattle and completed puzzle had been taken away from the room and replaced with another one, which he discovered when his fingertips trailed along the surface of the table, but he didn't touch it. Yesterday had cured him of any desire to play with new toys.

Itachi had long since learned to dress himself, having enough dignity left to know that to have another do it would be embarrassing. Thus he was waiting at table, seated on the side facing the hallway, when the latch in his lock clicked and the door swung open. The footfalls following it were loud, as if the person they belonged to were of enormous stature.

Itachi looked up when his new nurse entered the room, an old habit that had refused to die when his sight had. The giggle of the man's dead sister came from near Itachi's elbow, and he unconsciously greeted him.

"Morning, Kisame."

He mentally cursed when the footsteps stopped. "How do you know my name?"

"The walls are thin." It was a lame excuse, but the only one Itachi could think of on short notice.

"Hm." Finally, Kisame moved closer, setting down a tray on the table with a clink. "I have your breakfast. It's hot cereal."

The dead girl giggled again, and Itachi sighed. "Sometimes I think they give me cereal so often because they want to watch the blind man make a fool out of himself."

"Is that so?"

Emboldened, Itachi went on. "Yep. Soup, too. You should have seen the time they gave me this tomato soup. It got everywhere! It also didn't help that I don't like tomato, even though it's S-" he stopped abruptly. Itachi had been about to say his brother's name, a name he hadn't spoken in eight years. The little dead girl must have been doing things to him.

Paying no attention to his sudden silence, Kisame sat down on the opposite side of the table. "Here, I'll feed you."

"Hm." It would be humiliating, but what pride did Itachi have left in this place? At least he had dressed himself that morning.

The smell told him it was oatmeal, and the first bite told him it was sticky and unflavored. Itachi made a face and pushed the next spoonful away. "I don't want it," he said petulantly.

"That's no way to act," Kisame admonished. "Someone took the trouble of cooking this just for you, and you don't even want to eat it?"

"Humph." But when the next spoonful was offered to him, he took it.

After the entire bowl of oatmeal had been consumes, Itachi remained seated at the table, pointedly not touching the puzzle. He had had enough of children's games for a while yet. Then, to his surprise, after cleaning away the dishes, Kisame sat down opposite him.

"So, what do you do here?"

"For fun?" Itachi wasn't used to holding conversations that didn't end in shouting matches or periods of self-enforced silence.

The chair creaked, meaning that Kisame probably leaned back. "I guess you could call it that. What do you spend most of your time here doing?"

"Puzzles, mostly." Itachi gestured to the one on the table. "It keeps my brain occupied, at least, so Big Brother knows I'm not trying to plot a dramatic escape. Bah. It's not like I ever could try to escape, anyway."

"Why not?" Kisame asked.

Encouraging an inmate to attempt escape? Someone obviously hadn't paid very good attention in Caring For Crazies 101. By way of answer, Itachi tapped the cloth wrapping his head.

"Ah."

Itachi snorted, a small amount of humor held in his pseudo laugh. "I think it would be hilarious: imagine all the doctors discovering I'm gone, and looking all around for the man with the bandaged head, and all the while I'd have stolen someone's trenchcoat and sunglasses would be sitting in the corner, listening to them run around in a panic. Then I'll stand up, cool as can be, and walk out the door and right into a lamp post."

That drew a hearty laugh from Kisame. Emboldened but the success of his story, Itachi continued to map out his blind escapee escapades in downtown Chicago, which included everything from following the bus line by ear to stealing an old man's Seeing Eye dog in order to cross the road, only to ditch the dog and get a Seeing Eye Parrot at a nearby pet store. The entire time Kisame was in stitches, and finally Itachi felt an almost girlish giggle bubbling up inside of him that he had to let loose in a deep laugh. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed, really and truly expressed mirth, and the experience was freeing, in a terrifying and exhilarating way.

After their mutual mirth had died down, Itachi observed of Kisame, "You're pretty new here."

"How can you tell I'm new?" Kisame asked, something straining his voice that was almost, but not quite, suspicion.

"You stayed to talk to me," Itachi said with a trace of loneliness. "Usually, people avoid me, if they can. My old nurse used to sit outside the doorway and knit while she was on duty, just so she wouldn't have to be in the same room as me."

"Why?"

"Because of who I am. Don't I have a name tag on the door?"

He heard a rustle, which was presumably Kisame nodding his head. "Yes, but it only says Itachi."

"Figures." Itachi rubbed angrily at the bandage covering his ruined eyes. "Daddy Dearest is too afraid to put my full name on the door." He laughed without humor. "You'd figure it out soon enough, but if you want to know who I am, call me Mr. Uchiha. Itachi Uchiha."

There was a moment of shocked silence. "Uchiha? Your father…?"

"Owns the hospital, yes." Itachi sighed. "Ironic, isn't it? The CEO's son is the chief resident of the psychiatric ward. You know, the only reason he hasn't sold the hospital yet is because of me. He thinks I don't know, but being blind has made my hearing better, and I listen to a lot of conversations when people think I'm not paying attention. I don't even officially exist anymore; my death was a documented occurrence eight years ago. The only people who know I'm here are the ones who tend me in my padded white cell."

Kisame appeared to react to the bitterness in Itachi's voice, reaching out to brush a hand over the one Itachi had left on the table. "Why are you here, anyway? You're much more coherent than the others here."

A harsh laugh exploded from Itachi. "Oh, believe me, I'm just about as insane as they come. I was incarcerated for 'violent behavior'," he said with air quotes, then gestured to the cloth covering his ruined eyes. "I did this to myself, and I tried to-" He broke off suddenly, memories of his brother swamping his mind. Torture, he could handle, but what he had tried to do to his brother was something he could never forgive.

Overcome by things he had thought, hoped, were forgotten, Itachi stood up and felt his way to the bed against the far wall, laying down with his back to Kisame. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You should probably go."

Kisame didn't stand, but Itachi heard him shift in the chair. "Do you want me to leave?"

"It doesn't matter what I want." Itachi wrapped his arms about himself in a semblance of a broken hug. "I'm the crazy person here, remember?"

Kisame said nothing else, but, after a long moment, he stood and left, shutting the door behind him. The click of the lock sank Itachi into a despair he hadn't felt in years. Suddenly, right behind him, the little ghost girl giggled again, and Itachi covered his ears to block out the sound.

"Go away," he muttered.

"I don't want to!" The back of Itachi's neck tingled, as if the girl was leaning over him, either her hand or her hair trailing against his skin. "I want you to talk to Kissy for me."

"No."

The girl was not perturbed by the refusal. "I want you to tell Kissy that Button loves him."

Itachi waved his hand behind his neck, hoping to shoo the ghost away. "Go away."

"I want you to tell Kissy that Button loves him."

"No."

"I want you to tell Kissy that Button loves him."

"Shut up! I don't want you here!"

"I want you to tell Kissy that-"

"Enough!" Itachi sat straight up in bed. "I'm not going to tell Kissy that Button loves him, so just leave me alone!"

Kisame's deep voice resounded from near the door. "What did you way?"

Itachi froze, his hand coming up to cover his mouth as his sightless gaze turned toward the door, where Kisame had obviously reentered without Itachi realizing.

The big man took a step forward and repeated his question. "What did you say?"

And here was the great divide: on one hand, Itachi could blow the whole thing off and pretend like it never happened. On the other hand, he could try to tell Kisame the truth. Which one would be more worthwhile? It was impossible to tell, but something in Itachi's gut pulled him in the direction of the second option.

Trembling, Itachi replied, "I said, 'I'm not going to tell Kissy that Button loves him.'"

Taking another step forward, Kisame asked in a deadly quiet voice, "And why would you say such a thing?"

"Because… Because…" He took a deep breath, then stated, "Because Button asked me to."

The effect was instantaneous: Kisame strode towards the bed with heavy footsteps, shouting, "Why would you say that? How did you know? Damn you, you crazy fool!"

"Stop!" Itachi cried, holding up his hands in panic. Surprisingly, Kisame stopped.

"What?" He growled out.

"Is the door closed?"

"Of course the door's closed; it's standard hospital procedure."

"And the cameras: are they on or off?"

Suspicion crept into Kisame's voice. "They're off because I'm in here with you; again, standard hospital procedure. Why does it matter?"

Itachi swung his legs off the mattress to sit on the edge of the bed. "It means we can speak freely." He gestures in the vague direction of the couch. "Have a seat, if you would."

Itachi could tell that Kisame didn't like being bossed around by the person he was supposed to be in charge of, but he sat down on the proffered piece of furniture. When the sounds of his movements had quieted, Itachi asked, "Do you want to know the real reason why I'm in here?"

An irritated gasp escaped Kisame. "I don't see how that-"

Itachi cut him off. "Do you want to know why I'm here?" He repeated, gripping the edge of the bed.

"Fine," Kisame hissed in a voice that sounded like it came out through gritted teeth. "Why are you here?"

"I can see ghosts."

A beat of silence pervaded the room before Kisame voiced the obvious. "You're blind."

Itachi gritted his teeth. "Yes, but I wasn't before I came here! And I can still hear them, so let's just go with 'I can perceive ghosts'."

Another beat of silence followed this statement. "You're crazy."

This tore a laugh from Itachi. "I'm in a psychiatric hospital; what did you expect?"

"Is that why your father put you here? Because you think you can … perceive… dead people?"

Harsh laughter without any humor emanated from Itachi. "I don't think it: I know it, and my father does, too. It's partly that rat-bastard's fault I'm like this. We may act like just another rich family, but the Uchiha's help ghosts to fade, laying them to rest by helping them to sever their final ties to this world. _He_ sent me to do a job I shouldn't have been given, and I saw things I wasn't ready to see. It drove me mad, and this," he yanked angrily on the bandage, "was the result."

Across the room, Kisame sat in stunned silence. It was no easy task to inform someone of a world of which they were ignorant; this Itachi knew, yet for some reason he had felt compelled to tell Kisame of his life and suffering. Perhaps it was because of the laughter they had shared earlier that day, the first that Itachi had felt in almost a decade, but he wanted Kisame to share in his life and know him.

Apparently, Kisame had recovered enough for words, because he soon said with a tight voice, "I have no reason to believe anything you say."

"No?" Itachi arched an eyebrow, which may or may not have been seen beneath the cloth on his head. "Not even if I told Kissy that Button loves him?"

"Dammit!" Kisame yelled. "Who told you about my sister?"

A smirk touched the corner of Itachi's lips. "I never said anything about your sister. I was just talking about Kissy and Button."

If Itachi could see, he would probably behold Kisame clenching his fists. "What game are you playing?"

"The game's sitting on the table."

Kisame stood up, even angrier than before. "That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

"Do I? I'm the crazy one here."

"Enough!" Kisame slammed his hand down on the table with enough force to jump Itachi and knock the wooden puzzle off the table. It bounced on the floor, landing with a dull thump. "Stop lying to me! Who told you about her?"

Itachi wished he could just tell Kisame everything, but he needed to see it for himself, otherwise he never would be able to accept what Itachi was telling him. With a sigh, Itachi prepared to lead Kisame on a wild goose chase until he came upon the realization by himself. It was one of the most difficult parts of the job of laying ghost to rest.

With a start, Itachi realized that he was going to communicate the little girl's presence to Kisame, therefore most likely helping her to fade, exactly what he had told himself he was never going to do again. _Fuck it all,_ he swore in his mind, but comforted himself with another thought: he wasn't doing this for the dead. He was doing this for the living.

Apparently Itachi had been silent for too long, because Kisame slammed his other hand against the table as well. "Who told you, dammit?"

"I've been in confinement for eight years with no contact with the outside would," Itachi snarled. "Who the fuck do you think told me?"

Maybe it was his tone, or maybe it was the expletive, but something shocked Kisame enough to let his anger cool for him to think it over, settling back into the chair with a creak. When the answer - logical to Itachi, but utterly fantastic in nature to Kisame - hit him, Itachi could tell by his intake of breath. "Jesus-! Are you- are you telling me that… she's here?"

The girl spoke up again. "Is Kissy remembering me? Does that mean I'm important?"

"Here, and vocal," Itachi informed him.

"Jesus!" Kisame exclaimed again, then his voice hardened in suspicion. "How do I know you're not lying? Prove it to me!"

That was a simple enough process; Itachi had done it many times before. Turning to where he hoped the little dead girl was, he asked, "Button? Can I ask you something?"

A pout could be heard in the girl's voice. "Only Kissy can call me Button."

"I'm sorry; I didn't know that only…" He hesitated a bit on the nickname, "Kissy... could call you Button." A sharp intake of breath from Kisame told him that this was correct. "Anyway, could you tell me when you started following you brother around?"

The reply was punctual. "Five years ago this May."

"Five years ago in May…" Itachi mused. "Well, that should clear things up," he directed to Kisame. "Five years ago I was still in intensive care, and in May I was having my little episode where they took me off all the drugs I was on at once without weaning me off them. Therefore, I should have no knowledge of the fact that it was when your younger sister died."

"Jesus, she really is here!" Kisame jumped up from the chair and ran to Itachi, seizing him by the collar. "Where is she? Tell me!"

"Blind, remember!" Itachi managed as Kisame shook him back and forth.

The big man immediately released him. "Sorry."

The girl piped up. "Tell him I'm right beside him."

"She says that she's right beside you," Itachi relayed.

A frantic tone crept into Kisame's voice. "Where?"

"By your elbow, silly!"

"She says she's by your elbow."

"And now I'm hugging him. Tell Kissy I'm hugging him," the girl ordered.

With a small smile, Itachi obeyed. "She's hugging you."

Large fingers brushed against Itachi's arm as Kisame tried to embrace his sister's ghost. "I'm hungering her back! Am I doing it right?"

A girlish giggle sounded. "You're trying, Kissy, and that's all that matters."

"She says that you're hugging her back." It wasn't exactly what she had said, but it was what Kisame needed to hear.

All of a sudden, the little dead girl asked a question. "Will you tell Kissy something for me?"

"Sure," Itachi answered, knowing that this was what she needed to do in order to fade.

"What?" Kisame asked. "Did she say something?"

"She wants me to tell you something," Itachi replied.

"Oh," Kisame said, then quieted, paying rapt attention to Itachi.

"Tell him that I'm sorry I yelled at him. I didn't mean to, and then I was gone and couldn't apologize."

Itachi reported it to Kisame, who started to choke up when he replied. "No, it's my fault. I'm sorry, too. This would never have happened if I hadn't yelled at you and made you run away, and you would never have gotten hit by that bus!"

Ah, so that's how it had happened. A death like that would often leave a child a specter, wanting to apologize and make up for a fight that never mattered much to begin with.

"Please," the girl begged. "Tell Kissy that it wasn't his fault. I want him to smile and know that it wasn't his fault, and I didn't mean to make him mad."

This time, Kisame took a few calming breaths when Itachi reiterated the girl's words. "You didn't make me mad. I could never stay mad at you. I love you, Button."

The tenor of the girl's voice sounded like she had a sad smile on her face. "Tell Kissy… I love him too."

Itachi did as he was bade, and there was a rush of cool air next to his face. Standing up, Kisame asked frantically, "What was that? Where did she go?"

"She went where she was intended to go from the start," Itachi replied. "Somehow, she got stuck to you at her death instead of going there, wanting to tell you that she loved you, and as soon as you heard it, her objective was complete and she faded from this world. That's the job of an Uchiha: providing peace to those not alive, but not yet moved on to death."

Kisame drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "That sound like some job."

"It's not as glamorous as it seems, trust me."

All of a sudden, Itachi was taken by surprise as Kisame enfolded him in a hug. "Thank you," the big man whispered against his neck. "Thank you for helping my sister let go. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

Slowly, Itachi raised his arms to embrace Kisame back, at the same time marveling at how wide his shoulders were. They stayed like that for a long time, until Kisame composed himself enough to pull back. Then the two moved back to the table and talked of inconsequential things until it was time for lunch, when they still managed to speak around mouthfuls of food.

And for the first time since being placed in the psychiatric ward, Itachi felt like he had found a friend.


	13. Aftermath

So, now we're back to the regular story... And the plot gets thicker...

Also, I've been planning on adding side pairings to this since the beginning but haven't posted them in the summary yet because I personally don't like it when a story with a side pairing I search for doesn't have that pairing in it, particularly if the story is discontinued. But now they have been put in the actual story, so I'll put them in the summary, and more will follow as they enter the story.

Happy reading!

* * *

Instead of the normal view of Naruto floating over his bed in the light of the rising sun coming through the open window, Sasuke woke the next morning to find a ball of warmth tucked up comfortably against his side. How a ghost could have such vibrant heat encased within his body, Sasuke didn't know, but it felt like Naruto had internalized the dawn light from mornings past, and it was being radiated as a soft warmth in Sasuke's arms.

Opening his eyes, Sasuke found that Naruto's own were closed, even though he couldn't sleep, and he had his arms curled up against his chest, his hands pressed up against the bare skin of Sasuke's chest as if monitoring his breathing. And even though he didn't need to breathe either, his own chest rose and fell in time with Sasuke's, the look of peaceful concentration on his face making it seem like he was finding happiness in melding himself to the Uchiha, living some small part of his existence as a part of the stoic boy.

The shift in Sasuke's breathing as he woke alerted Naruto, and the ghost blinked his eyes open lazily at him. "Good morning."

"Morning," Sasuke responded as he reached out and pulled Naruto close for a quick kiss, but the chaste touch of lips soon deepened as the two boys lazily dueled with their tongues. Gently, Sasuke tugged on Naruto's hips until the ghost moved closer, then he finagled the ghost until he was straddling his hips. With a grin, Naruto bared down harder into the kiss before pulling back to admire his flushed handiwork.

"I think that deserves an extra 'good morning', don't you?" Naruto asked, his tongue making a brief, darting appearance across his top lip before disappearing.

"I'd take another one," Sasuke answered honestly. "That was the best wake up call I've had in my whole life."

"Really?" A smug grin decorated Naruto's face. "Then I guess we'll have to replicate it tomorrow… And the day after that… And the day after that…" Leaning down, Naruto gently bit the lobe of Sasuke's ear. "Or we could just have another round right now…"

With a smug smile hiding his breathlessness, Sasuke observed, "You're a lot more daring this morning."

"Why, of course I am! I let you have all the fun last night, so today I'm going to take back a little bit of power. How does that sound?"

Sasuke remained silent for a few moments, as if considering, then flipped Naruto over without warning and trapped him against the bed. The ghost struggled a little, but didn't succeed in regaining power over Sasuke, and the Uchiha gave a dark chuckle. "Or I could just take the power back again. How does that sound?"

After a few more second of struggling, Naruto finally resigned himself to his fate and leaned forward to press his lips against Sasuke's. "I guess this is okay, too. Just be gentle with me," he added with puppy dog eyes.

"Hn," Sasuke responded, eyes twinkling. "You should probably check out your neck, then."

"My neck?" Naruto's eyes grew abruptly wide, and he pushed Sasuke off and ran to the mirror above the dresser. "Son of a bitch, you gave me a hickey!"

"What's so bad about that?" Sasuke asked, standing up out of bed himself and stretching. "You gave me one, too," he said while gesturing to the small mark of his shoulder.

"Yeah, but you can cover your up with your shirt!" Naruto hastily conjured up a button down shirt with a collar, the same one he had been wearing the night before, and tried to hide the mark, but it showed above the line of fabric. "Dammit, everyone is going to know!"

"Who's going to know? You're invisible."

"Not to the other ghosts!" In an attempt to hide the mark, Naruto flipped the collar up, but the purple hickey still showed. "Kiba will tease me forever about this!"

A rush of hurt and disappointment washed through Sasuke. "Was it worth it?" He asked quietly.

Naruto regarded him in the mirror for a long moment, then flipped his collar down to show the dark mark. "Yes. Yes it was."

"That's good," Sasuke said, hiding his relief as he moved behind Naruto and wrapped his arms around his chest, leaning around to touch a brief kiss to his cheek. He could see both of them reflected in the mirror, something that ordinary people would just recognize as one person bent at an awkward angle, and for the first time since the incident with Itachi, Sasuke felt blessed that he had his gift. As if sensing his thoughts, Naruto heaved a contented sigh and leaned back against the comfortable chest waiting for him.

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me," Sasuke remembered with a sudden clarity. "I wanted to ask you about your shirt. How did you make it disappear last night?"

Naruto fingered the top button of said shirt. "Ghosts usually wear the clothes we die in, but we've learned to manipulate them the same way we can manipulate our ages. Over the years, we've updated them so they won't be out of date with what everyone else is wearing, even though no one but us can see them. It also means that we can remove them at a moment's notice."

"Convenient," Sasuke murmured against Naruto's neck.

"Oh, stop that!" Naruto broke away from Sasuke and swatted at him. "Put a shirt on! You're late for breakfast!"

Chuckling, Sasuke did as he was bade, slipping a black shirt over his pale skin before picking up his satchel and heading down to the dining room, Naruto hot on his heels. As the ghost had said, Sasuke was later than normal to breakfast, and everyone else had already eaten and left, leaving a single pink-haired girl, uncharastically silent, as the the sole inhabitant of the room. Sasuke took his usual chair and waited for her to notice that he was there.

As she served Sasuke his breakfast that morning, Sakura had a glazed look on her face and in her eyes, as if she was having trouble believing the events of the day before.

"What's wrong with her?" Naruto observed a Sakura set Sasuke's plate down - in front of the wrong chair, no less - and returned to the kitchen without a word.

"She's just suffering from shock," Sasuke answered, pulling his plate toward him and picking up his knife to cut his pancakes. "It's to be expected; she did have a life altering revelation yesterday. Don't worry about her; I've seen enough people go through this realization to know that she's handling it particularly well."

"The door to the kitchen swung open again, and Sakura came back with a second plate and sat down opposite Sasuke, and, eyes misted over, silently began to eat.

"You sure she's okay?" Naruto asked dubiously, waving his arm with the bracelet in her general direction. "That's not normal Sakura behavior."

Sakura reacted to the bracelet waving around in seemingly thin air. It was a good thing that they were the only occupants of the dining room, or someone other than Sasuke and the ghostly Naruto would have been privy to the impressive string of swears that came out of her mouth. When she finally calmed down enough to hold a reasonable conversation without an extraordinary amount of blue words, Sakura passed a hand over her eyes. "So it was real. I was hoping a little bit that it would turn out to be just a dream."

"I'm afraid so," Sasuke answered, spearing a piece of pancake with his fork with more force than was absolutely necessary. "The Hokage isn't going to get rid of its ghosts any time soon, so you and the others are just going to have to learn to live with them."

Making a face, Sakura picked at her pancake moodily. "I wish I knew what I was getting into when Kakashi asked me to help bring you onto the team. I thought you'd sprinkle some holy water and chant a bit, like in the movies, then poof! No more ghosts. This whole big mess… it's a bit more than I bargained for."

"Movies romanticize and overdramatize everything," Sasuke said, twirling his fork in his syrup to make a spiral in the viscous liquid. "You shouldn't believe anything you see in them, especially related to ghosts. There's just no truth in them, only lies to entertain the masses."

"Now I feel stupid for thinking like that," Sakura wailed, bemoaning her lot in life.

"Tell her I think she's smart." Naruto slipped in the conversation, taking care to gesture with his hand that didn't have the bracelet. "I know how well she does in school, even if her parents don't support her."

"Hm." Sasuke considered for a moment, then relayed the information. "Naruto thinks you're smart."

"Naruto?" Sakura looked up in surprise. "Is he here? Is that his bracelet?"

"Yeah. He says that he knows how well you do in school, even though your parents don't support it." He paused, the meaning of the words only just dawning on him. "Why don't they support you?"

Sakura blushed. "Oh, it's just that neither of them went to college, so they expect the same from me. It's not like there's enough money to send me to school, anyway. They only way I'm going somewhere is if I get a scholarship or I save up the money myself… which is why I've been working here for Kakashi as far back as I could."

"What do you want to do with your life?" Sasuke asked, genuinely curious.

"A doctor, if I could," Sakura answered. "But medical school is expensive and takes a lot of time, so a while ago I decided on clinical psychology. Of course, wherever I work, I wouldn't be in charge of a lot of people, because that usually requires a doctorate and I don't think I'll get that far, but what I want to do is people who are depressed to make them feel better. If I can prevent at least one suicide, then I will think of my life as complete."

"That's a lofty goal," Sasuke remarked with slightly raised eyebrows.

Giggling a little, Sakura decided to turn the tables on him. "What do you want to do with your life?"

Now it was Sasuke's turn to pull a face. "My dad wants me to be a doctor, or a lawyer, so I can take over the hospital he owns when I get older."

"I didn't ask what your father wanted you to be," Sakura said. "I asked what _you_ wanted to be."

Sasuke hesitated a little, nervously tapping his fork on the edge of his plate. He had never confessed this to any living person before, and had only answered Shikamaru when he had asked because the genius had held a certain quiet authority that he had felt compelled to follow. Then, suddenly, he remembered how Sakura had pulled his confession of his sexuality out of him, and how it had been accepted without question. This place was a safe zone in his life, where he could confess anything and everything, and people would accept him for who he really was, not who he was expected to be.

Squaring his shoulders confidently, Sasuke replied, "An author."

Sakura seemed to think about it for a few seconds, then she slowly nodded. "I can totally see it. You love literature so much, so it wouldn't be much of stretch. I think you'd make a good author."

"Well, you're just about the only who does," Sasuke said with a sigh. "I know my family wouldn't support it, so I haven't even brought it up to them. Unless they're famous, writers don't tend to make a lot of money, and it's not a profession that my father considers 'legitimate', so I know he wouldn't support me. My only choices are to do what he wants, or he'll cut me off and I'll have to become one of those 'starving artist' types."

"Yeah, but just think how romantic that would be!" Sakura wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "It would certainly stir your artistic spirit."

Sasuke couldn't help but laugh at that. "Thanks, Sakura. You always make me feel better."

"What am I?" Naruto asked, hand resting over his heart and eyelids fluttering in mock afrontery.

"You're an unholy terror."

Naruto leaped up from his spot at the table and performed a deep bow while floating over the table. Sakura sent Sasuke a quizzical look, and he gestured to the bracelet dangling above them. "What else would I call a prankster like him?"

Eyes widening in understanding, Sakura fixed Naruto - or his vague position, at least - with a mock severe glare. "Are you, good sir, and unholy terror?"

Doffing an imaginary cap in Sakura's direction, Naruto answered, "Yes, I am, and proud of it!"

"He happily agrees to the nickname," Sasuke laughed, watching Naruto do a dance that vaguely resembled a gig while floating a few feet above the table. The silver bracelet caught the light and threw shards of illumination across the room as he moved, and Sakura's eyes were focused on that bracelet, the only part of Naruto that she could see.

In the middle of their session of laughter, a hand came down on each of Sasuke's and Sakura's shoulders, making them jump. Looking up, they found that Kakashi was smiling down at them with his one eye.

"Nice to see the three parts of my team working well together," he commented.

"Three parts? Team?" Sasuke and Sakura exchanged a confused look.

"Of course." Kakashi gestured to the table at large. "My locals - that's you, Sakura - my foreigner - you own that spot, Sasuke - and the ghosts of my inn - and I'm afraid I have no clue which one you are," Kakashi remarked apologetically to Naruto.

"It's Naruto," Sasuke said a little testily, not liking having been called a foreigner, even though it was technically true. "But what is your 'team' supposed to accomplish?"

"Damned if I know," Kakashi said with a hidden grin that made his eye crinkle. "You're the expert here."

"Of course I am." Sasuke sighed perhaps a little more heavily than what was required of him. He shook such negativity out of his head as he regarded the masked owner of the Hokage. "You're taking this very well, Kakashi. No denying it or anything."

"Yeah, much better than me," Sakura chimed in.

Kakashi shrugged. "I'm an adult who's believed in ghosts for most his adult life. I'm not going to freak out just because, for the first time, I actually met one - or five."

"Well, that's good." Sasuke felt a shiver of relief go down his spine. "And Iruka?"

Starting guiltily, Kakashi asked quickly, "What about Iruka?"

"Did he take it well, and will he be coming back today?" Sasuke stood up and slung his satchel over his shoulder. "I did offer to tell anyone who wanted to know about the Akatsuki, if they felt up to it. I know it's a lot to stomach at once."

Nodding, Kakashi completely glossed over the Iruka question in favor of gesturing at the back room. "I do think that we should know. Everyone is working today, so they'll meet us back there when they come in, which should be soon. I expect the ghosts will show up as well?"

"I had assumed they would."

"Excellent." To Sakura, Kakashi asked, "Would you mind bring the dishes back and then joining us?"

"Sure," Sakura said. "I'll be right with you."

She grabbed both hers and Sasuke's plates and ran with them to the kitchen, and Kakashi seized Sasuke's elbow and steered him toward the back room.

"So," he ventured once they were in the relative privacy awarded by the room, a perverted twinkle in his eye. "How was your night last night?"

"Priceless," Naruto called out, entering the room right behind him.

Giving a slight twitch in Naruto's direction to tell him that he was right, Sasuke said out loud, "Not what you're thinking, you perverted old man."

"Perverted?" Kakashi appeared genuinely shocked. "What on earth would cause you to think that?"

"Where's Iruka?" Sasuke challenged, folding his arms across his chest.

Now that Sakura was no longer in the room, Kakashi leaned forward and whispered confidentially to Sasuke, "He's feeling a bit… sore at the moment, if you catch my drift, but otherwise, he's fine."

"What did I tell you?" Sasuke asked with a shake of his head.

"What did you tell who?" Sakura entered the room with a suspicious look on her face. "What were you two getting up to in here?"

"Nothing," both Kakashi and Sasuke said together, than gave the other a dirty look for having stolen his line.

They were save from m any further questioning because just then, they were interrupted by a large white dog bursting through the door, Kiba hot on his heels. As soon as he saw the phantom, Naruto jumped and hid behind Sasuke.

"Akamaru!" He yelled as he tackled the mutt, keeping him from jumping up and muddying Sakura's clothes. "I told you not to bust in here!"

In lieu of a response, Akamaru squirmed around in Kiba's grasp until he could reach out with his tongue and lick the cheeks of his owner, turning the tables on the disgruntled phantom.

"Hey!" Kiba tried to push the big white dog off, but Akamaru jumped on him and pinned him to the floor, then proceeded to lick every inch of his face from top to bottom.

Shino had followed the dog and his master through the open door, and now stood leaning against the door jamb with a smirk. Trapped under Akamaru, Kiba threw a helpless look at the stoic boy in shades, who ignored the silent plea in favor of adjusting the dark glasses perched on his nose.

"Fine. Be that way," Kiba groused. To escape from the joyful wrath of his hyper dog, he made himself incorporeal, and Akamaru's paws, which were resting in his chest, thumped down in the floor. Quickly extricating himself, Kiba floated over to where Shino was watching with an unreadable expression and pointed silently out the door, and Akamaru left, though he didn't look happy about it.

Throughout this exchange, Sakura and Kakashi had been watching the bounce of the bracelet that, to them, seemed to float in midair.

"I'm guessing that was Kiba," Kakashi said dryly, raising the one eyebrow that was showing.

"What gave it away?" Sasuke asked just as dryly, raising his eyebrow in a mirror of Kakashi's.

Pointing at the door, Sakura asked, "Who's the one by the door? The first one, I mean."

"Shino." To the pair of ghosts, Sasuke asked, "Are the others coming?"

"Should be," Kiba answered. "We saw both of them earlier this morning."

"That's good." Naruto finally came out from behind Sasuke, stretching his arms in an attempt to shrug his collar up over the hickey on his neck, but Kiba still spotted it almost instantly.

With wide eyes, Kiba ran forward and yanked the collar of the shirt away from Naruto's neck. "You have a hickey!" He cried with exuberant challenge.

His face froze in fear for a second, then Naruto saw something on Kiba's neck and narrowed his eyes, yanking on the fabric of his shirt until it gave with a tear and ripped away from his chest, leaving it bare. The garment disappeared as soon as it lost contact with Kiba's skin, and when it was gone, it revealed a number of bites and marks across his chest and shoulders.

"What are these?" Naruto jeered while pointing at the marks on Kiba's chest, glad to have the attention taken off him.

Trying unsuccessfully to hide the marks with his hands, Kiba protested, "They're just play bites from Akamaru!"

Sasuke noticed that Shino's face - or, what part of it that could be seen - tightened slightly at this claim.

"Oh, yeah?" Naruto jabbed again. "Then what's that?" He asked, gesturing to a purple mark on his collarbone that looked exactly like the one Naruto himself was sporting.

"Well… It's… ah, well, I mean…" Kiba tittered nervously for a moment before Shino came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his chest in a possessive manner.

"I made them."

Ah, so Sasuke's earlier assumption had been correct; Shino and Kiba were together.

Naruto, meanwhile, was standing there with his mouth hanging open, looking back and forth between the two phantoms. "How long?" He finally managed. Apparently, his powers of observation were not so great as Sasuke's.

"Almost a decade," Shino answered, since Kiba was still blushingly mute. Smirking, he added, "And now it's time for you to tell us where you got yours."

The tables now turned on him, it was Naruto's turn to stutter. "Well… I…"

And now it was Sasuke's turn to claim responsibility. He hesitated for just a second before remembering his epiphany form earlier that morning, and he squared his shoulders and stepped forward.

"Me. It was me."

Five sets of eyes - two confused, courtesy of the humans, one shellshocked, thanks to Kiba, one inscrutable behind glasses, and one a little surprised and insurmountably happy - trained on Sasuke, and he stood a little taller under the scrutiny.

"What's going on? What was you?" Kakashi asked, looking a little suspiciously at the trio of bracelets in the center of his back room.

"Nothing important." Sasuke raised a hand dismissively. "Just working out differences."

This seemed to amuse the ghosts as they split from their group stance, Naruto floating back to Sasuke and Kiba conjuring up another shirt, but Kakashi was pacified, so Sasuke counted it as a win.

Just then, Shikamaru floated in through the open door with his hands shoved in his pockets. "That was an interesting discussion I just overheard," he remarked languidly, causing both Kiba and Naruto to blush and Shino and Sasuke to hover just a little more protectively over them, then Shikamaru turned to Sasuke with the barest hint of annoyance in his voice, which was the equivalent of a shouting fit from anyone else. "I can't float through walls with this thing," he complained, gesturing to the bracelet on his wrist.

Sasuke couldn't help it- he laughed, loud and long, completely undone by the phantom's reaction. Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, which was severely out of character for him, he responded, "Yes, that's what happens when objects become physical."

Tsking gently, Shikamaru leaned up against the wall and proceeded to ignore the rest of the occupants of the room.

Two new occupants were added to that total when Ino walked through the door, closely followed by Choji. Upon seeing the four bracelets dangling in thin air, Ino took it the worst out of all of them, falling back onto Choji's chest in an almost faint, who was only saved from a similar reaction by the hard reality of the girl who was grasping onto his for support.

The heavyset boy's reaction was stunned, but coherent. "Damn, so it wasn't a dream."

"Not even close," Sasuke answered as Ino blinked back to life. "Where's Tenten?"

"Sick." Choji held up a phone with the hand that wasn't supporting Ino. "She sent me a text. I think she's taking it harder than the rest of us."

"Then I guess we're all here," Sasuke started, but Kakashi interrupted him.

"We're missing one," he said, pointing to the bracelets.

Sasuke surveyed the scene for a minute before he realized what was wrong. Dammit, Lee wasn't there! Where on earth was he, and how were they going to get him here for the impromptu meeting? As if reading his thoughts, Naruto's hand shot eagerly into the air.

"I'll go find him!"

Sasuke nodded once, and Naruto shot off through the open door. Turning to the humans, he explained, "Lee was missing. Naruto's gone to find him."

When the humans all nodded in agreement, Ino still holding onto Choji's arm, who was looking none too upset about it, Sasuke continued. "You all know why we're here, so I'll begin."

Slowly and with as much detail as possible, Sasuke explained everything he could about the hierarchy of ghosts, from specters all the way up through draugrs. The ghosts, having heard this spiel before, mostly ignored it, but the humans hung onto every word.

When he got to the Akatsuki, Sasuke paused for just a second before launching into their description. He did, however, leave out the part that it had been a former Akatsuki who had driven Itachi mad. That was something that would stay between Naruto and himself. Shikamaru, who had squeezed part of the confession out of him during the chess game, had pretended to ignore the whole conversation, but proved he really was listening when he opened an eye just wide enough to give him a look that said, "I think I know what's really going on."

Sakura interrupted him as soon as he was done. "But there's no way there could be an Akatsuki in Konoha; we've never had any serial killers here!"

But Sasuke was already shaking his head. "That's one of the scariest things about Akatsuki- they were so emotionless in life that they have no ties to anything on this earth great enough to keep them from wandering. That's how they form groups, by wandering until they find another Akatsuki, and so on and so on, until there's a whole gang of them. They seek to further their own dark agendas, so they're unpredictable and merciless."

"But are you sure they're Akatsuki?" Ino pressed.

"No," Sasuke admitted. "I didn't see them myself. But from the description Kakashi gave me, it's the only logical conclusion." He turned to the phantoms in the room. "How about you? Have any of you seen black-caped ghosts wandering the streets, day or night?"

Shino and Kiba exchanged a quick look. "Once, about five years ago. It was in the dead of night, right down the middle of the street, and they felt awful so we decided to stay away from them."

"They stay in a shack close to the border of the town during the daytime," Shikamaru chimed in lazily. "Naruto mentioned them to you when you first asked about draugrs in Konoha. We've avoided them since that day, which is fairly easy since they only come out late at night, but we can still feel that they're there whenever we pass close to the shack."

"Damn," Sasuke muttered.

"They confirm it?" Kakashi asked, a troubled look in his one eye.

"Unfortunately," Sasuke said with a sigh. "But I guess they only come out late at night, so we should be fairly safe from them. I was worried about them recognizing my gift and it causing trouble for the rest of you, but as long as we're careful, we should be fine."

There was a general consensus of nods at this.

"How do you expect to deal with this?" Kakashi asked. "Is it dangerous for there be these dead serial killers in our town?"

"That, I don't know," Sasuke admitted. "If they're just killing time or staying here for a lark or to plan their next move, we shouldn't have to worry too much. But since they've been here for five years already - that's what Kiba just told me, anyway - it's highly likely that their objective lies somewhere in this town, and that could prove to be a problem."

"Then I'm glad we have you to help us," Choji said.

"That's right," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "We'd never be able to even figure all this out on our own, let alone know what to do when we figured it out."

"What is the plan?" Kakashi folded his arms over his chest in preparation for hearing the plan.

"I've called in backup."

"What?" Ino pulled away from Choji while asking the question, who looked slightly disappointed at the loss. "Who?"

"His surname's Hyuuga, and he comes from a family with similar powers as mine. We do have different strengths and weaknesses, though, so he should be able to confirm some things for me before we finalize a plan."

"I suppose that's one way of doing it," Kakashi allowed. "If I may ask, what are the differences between your two powers?"

Hesitating a bit, Sasuke said, "I'm not really supposed to talk about it, and I don't know the exact specifications of his gift so I can't say for certain. Please understand; this is the only way that we can protect ourselves from others exploiting our gifts."

Whatever Kakashi was going to say in response was cut short as Naruto burst back through the open door and grabbed Sasuke's arm, trying to pull him away from the group. "Help, Sasuke, please! Lee needs help!"

"Slow down! What's going on?" Sasuke tried to ask the frantic ghost, but Naruto just tugged harder.

"There's no time! Gaara's got him. Please, Sasuke- I think he's going to kill him!"


	14. LOVE and the Draugr

Hot it off the press, extra, extra!

 **Kierayumi** \- I'm glad you found my story too!

 **Uchihas-don'-whine-** Thanks! And I know about the errors- I type on an iOS devise and the autocorrect is killer. I try to catch stuff, but sometimes I just miss it. I have a scrub of the story already planned after the next chapter, and I'll make things people were unsure about clearer. Thanks for bringing up the fox curse- I'll add that to the list. I loved reading your review; it was really well though out and made me feel special! (And I hope I didn't offend you with the amount of whining Sasuke does in this story, hehe)

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: the pinnacle of the abridgment, the resolution of the cliffhanger, the introduction of a new character, the... you know what, you've probably stopped reading this by now, so I should probably stop.

* * *

"Help, Sasuke, please! Lee needs help!"

"Slow down! What's going on?" Sasuke tried to ask the frantic ghost, but Naruto just tugged harder.

"There's no time! Gaara's got him. Please, Sasuke- I think he's going to kill him!"

Swearing, Sasuke grabbed his satchel and started out the door. Gaara was not someone to mess around with. This, he knew personally.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Kakashi asked, no amount of panic seeping into his questions.

On the exact opposite end of the spectrum, Ino's voice was filled with franticness. "Is something wrong? What happened, Sasuke?"

"No time to explain," he shouted over his shoulder as Naruto lead him out the door. "Stay here!"

They didn't listen, of course, the ghosts following the trail of Naruto's aura and the humans following the wink of their bracelets in the sun, even though Sasuke had never run so fast in his life, aided by the spiritual power of Naruto pulling him along. It was a busy day, and people on the street stopped to watch the impromptu and strange caravan, telling themselves that they had to be a special exhibition of some sort, or their minds were playing tricks on them, for silver bracelets couldn't float in thin air.

When they reached the same beach that Naruto and Sasuke had fought Gaara at before, the sand mired down Sasuke's feet and made it hard for him to run. Naruto, sensing this, pushed a little bit of his power into Sasuke, making his feet barely touch the surface of the sand. It felt a little bit like flying, but Sasuke had no time to enjoy the sensations before they rounded the bend in the beach and beheld Gaara, holding Lee down against the ground with chains made of sand. Lee was struggling, but to no avail, and Gaara made a hand out of sand and ripped the bracelet off his arm, the pure silver clasp breaking and knocking against Lee's bare skin, drawing a cry of pain from him.

"YOU MAKE FRIENDS WITH HUMANS? WHAT A JOKE! ALLOW ME TO PROVE HOW WEAK YOU REALLY ARE!" Gaara roared, murder in his eyes.

Naruto grabbed onto Sasuke's arm. "Why can't he get free? Lee can't become corporeal!"

"The sand has spent so long under Gaara's command, it's a part of both worlds, so it can hold both humans and spirits. Remember, you couldn't escape it when you tried to become incorporeal."

Panic infused his voice. "Then what are we going to do? We have to save Lee!"

Setting down his satchel, Sasuke dug through it as quickly and calmly as he could. "The same thing we did last time. We're going to fight." He pulled out a vial of holy water and sighed; there wasn't much left. He had used up most of it in the last battle with Gaara and had filled the vial back up at the Hokage, but he still only used it in absolute emergencies, so he hadn't brought enough to pull the same stunt as before. "Unfortunately, we can't do the same thing as last time; Gaara won't fall for the same trick twice, and I don't have enough holy water anyways. We'll have to think of something new."

Standing, he handed the bottle to Naruto, who took it gingerly. "Do you know if Lee was religious during his life?" He asked, bending down again to pull out three silver knives, one for each hand and an extra shoved through his belt.

"No, he's young enough that it was considered acceptable for him to not be." Shikamaru said from right behind them, startling both. "What?" He asked when they gave him a look. "I may be lazy, but I'm not going to sit and do nothing while a friend of mine is hurt."

Naruto tried to hand the bottle back, but Sasuke refused to take it, holding up the two knives as evidence, so Naruto made a face, but held on to it. "Why aren't you using the cross?"

"The cross only works in close quarters, and since we used it before, it won't work again; Gaara's to smart to fall for it twice. It'll have to be just the knives and whatever power you can throw at him this time."

"How did you beat him last time?" Shikamaru asked, his eyebrows creasing as his genius mind began to work in circles.

"By contaminating part of the sand with holy water, and then the surf diluted it and contaminated almost all the rest of the sand. His own defense hurt him then, and from there on in I used a knife."

"Interesting." Shikamaru sat down on the sand, his hands steepled together and his eyes closed in absolute concentration.

The rest of the gang, Shino, Kiba, and the other humans, rounded the bend then, and Sasuke turned to them with an impressive string of swears. "I thought I told you to stay put! This is dangerous!"

Sakura pointed at the moving lumps of sand in horror. "What's that?"

"Get off the sand!" Sasuke roared just as Gaara took notice of them.

With thundering footsteps that shook the ground enough for even the human to notice, Gaara took several great strides forward, past the the bound and captive Lee, and sent a tidal wave of sand toward to small knot of people. Shoving Naruto behind him, Sasuke took a few steps forward and plunged both knives into the ground ahead of him. The tidal wave of sand parted at the point where the knives were stuck into the ground and slid along the sides of an invisible barrier that flared out behind Sasuke in a cone, wide enough at its base to protect all four people standing, clueless as to what was going on, at the edge of the tree line. The excess sand crashed into the plants at the edge of the beach, decimating the small bushes and stripping the trees of their smaller branches.

Ripping his blades out of the ground as Gaara turned his attention back to Lee, Sasuke yelled, "Shino! Kiba! Get them off the sand now! He controls this whole area!"

Thankfully, neither Shino or Kiba asked any unnecessary questions, and both proceeded to push back against the group of people, shoving them until they passed the treeline. Akamaru, who had joined the group during the journey, Sasuke didn't know when, planted himself at the edge of the sand and growled at them, making it clear that they were not to pass. When Kakashi's tried to go around the large white dog, Akamaru even snapped at him, and he hastily retreated.

Good, Sasuke thought. Untrained civilians had no place in the field, especially if they couldn't see what they were fighting. If would be safer for everyone if they stayed out of the fight altogether.

Naruto scrambled up from the ground as Shino and Kiba quickly floated over to join the group of ghosts and Sasuke. "What's the plan?" Kiba asked, his hand holding tight to the cuff of Shino's jacket.

"You too?" Naruto asked.

"I, too, am not so cold that I would let a friend suffer." Shino crossed his hands over his chest. "What can we do to help?"

Suddenly, Shikamaru's eyes popped open. "I have the plan."

"You do?" Sasuke kept his eyes trained on Gaara, who was stalking back toward the slowly disappearing Lee. "Shit, he's going under! Naruto, can you blast him out like you did me?"

Naruto prepared to do so, but a shout from Shikamaru stopped them. "Wait!"

Shikamaru never shouted, or even raised his voice above a low groan if he could help it, so they all turned and gave him their undivided attention from shock.

Sniffing a little in annoyance, Shikamaru groused, "Now that I have your attention, here's the plan: we blast Lee out of there after we douse him with holy water, since the water will hurt Gaara but not Lee. Once that is completed, Sasuke goes in with the knives to provide cover for us, Naruto keeps blasting Gaara with the sand, Kiba and myself will mess with the sand he's trying to use by pulling it in the opposite direction with our telekinesis, and Shino grabs Lee and pulls him out of there. That sound like a good plan to everyone?"

"Yes, but start it fast!" Sasuke tightened the grip on his weapons. "Lee's not going to last very long in that sand trap; I've been in it, and it pulled me down in under a minute. We have to move now!"

Lee was in a little bit of a different position from Sasuke; he had been trapped face up, rather than face down, so Gaara had left his face free of the sand while submerging the rest of his body in the tight dampness. Surprisingly, the draugr leaned over the phantom, and with an almost gentle gesture, traced a finger made of sand down his face. Lee didn't flinch away from it, instead asking Gaara something the others couldn't hear. At this, the draugr himself flinched and drew back as if burned, then screamed aloud to the sky something unintelligible, sending a smaller tidal wave of sand over Lee to cover his face.

Sasuke started running forward as soon as the sand started to move, hoping to make it to Lee before he got dragged down too deep. Behind him, he heard a small scuffle, followed by Shikamaru's order.

"Give me the holy water!"

Then the vial of holy water went sailing over his head, held upright by telekinesis until it reached the spot where Lee lay buried, then it turned over and spilled its contents on his shallow grave of living death. Just before Sasuke arrived, a blast of power carved a crater in the space just above where Lee was, showing the boy coughing up sand from his lungs. The sand, contaminated with holy water as it had been before, blasted up into Gaara's howling face and blinded the monster, causing him to stagger around and let out an inhuman cry of pain that even Sakura, Ino, and Choji reacted to.

"Holy shit!" The cry came from Kakashi, who, a quick glance confirmed, had taken off the top part of his mask so he could see what was happening. Throughout the rest of battle, Sasuke could hear him relaying a play by play to the other humans who were blind to what was happening in the fight.

Gaara immediately tried to slough the sand from his skin and gather new grains for armor, but Naruto kept blasting the sand on the ground into clouds and drifts, and Shikamaru and Kiba kept tugging on the particles, trying to keep them from becoming a solid mass, so Gaara eventually gave up and simply covered his whole body with a thin layer of the stuff, hard as diamonds and the same color as the beach, making it seem like the small cove had conjured up a malevolent creature as its protector.

Sasuke jumped between the coughing Lee and the pain crazed draugr, providing cover for Shino, who had been following close behind him, to grab the phantom and get him out of the danger zone. He heard him try to protest briefly, then a muffled thump as Shino clapped a hand over his mouth and slung him over his shoulder, carrying him away from the battle. Good; there was one objective accomplished.

But Gaara, as if realizing that his quarry was getting away, paid no mind to Sasuke even as he tried to attack the draugr, and shoved him aside, sending him tumbling in favor of stretching out a hand for one final blow to his victim: he picked up the shards of pure silver from the bracelet he had broken earlier, and slammed them in a handful of sand straight into the base of Lee's spine. Gasping in horror from the ground, Sasuke could only watch at Lee buckled and screamed in pure agony just before reaching the safe zone. Shikamaru stopped pulling on the sand and ran out to assist Shino, and Kiba couldn't keep it away from Gaara by himself, so the sand started swirling around the sand draugr once more.

Naruto screamed as well, and started to charge at Gaara, but Sasuke was faster. One of his knives had been dropped during his tumble on the ground, but he had learned his lesson during the first fight and grabbed the spare one from his belt. Running forward to gather momentum, he jumped on Gaara from behind, finding his body through the cloud of sand and wrapping his legs around it, then bringing both knives down through the obscuring barrier to find some portion of the hard armor to hit.

Immediately, all the swirling sand dropped and Gaara froze, and Sasuke found that he was perched on Gaara's back, grasping his middle tightly with his legs, and had stabbed him directly at the base of his skull. The point of impact between the hardened sand and the silver started to flake away, then his whole armor began to crumble. Sasuke, not wanting to be that close to the ghost when he unfroze, jumped off his back and circled around to face Gaara from the front.

What he saw shocked him. It was the first time since the first battle he had seen Gaara's face up close, and the place where the silver knife had grazed him on his forehead last time was still red and raw. However, it was different than Sasuke had left it; instead of a simple red mark, Gaara had carved and clawed at his own forehead until the word LOVE sat above his brow, outlined in his own blood. A single line of it trailed down and dripped into his eye, making the turquoise turn a shade of mottled reddish purple.

With a scream, Gaara unfroze and launched himself at Sasuke, who held up his knives in preparation for battle. However, Gaara did not go for a direct fight, like last time: instead, he grabbed Sasuke's wrists, making both of his knives useless, and hissed at him, speaking in the quietest voice Sasuke had ever heard him use.

"Why couldn't you just leave him?"

"For what?" Sasuke spat, struggling to free his arms. "For you to kill? I gave you a second chance, Gaara. You wasted it!"

"No," the ghost almost moaned. "So he could tell me what this means." He let go of one of Sasuke's hands to touch the bleeding word on his forehead.

Oh. Oh.

Jesus, Sasuke knew the ghost had been murdered by his own parents, but to not even have a concept of what love was? How sad could you get? And it was probably Sasuke's rant when he had spared Gaara during the first fight that caused the chaos inside the draugr and sparked off this most recent event, and that just made Sasuke feel worse.

Even though Gaara had both of his eyes closed and had released one of Sasuke's hands, Sasuke still didn't attack him, his own mind whirling in thought. Was there a way to bring Gaara out of this?

He was snapped back to reality as Naruto hurtled toward them with the knife Sasuke had dropped earlier, holding it aloft even though it had to be burning him. Gaara let go of Sasuke's other hand and dropped into the sand, disappearing without a trace before Naruto got there, but the ghost, crazed with grief for his friend, tried to follow him, and would have stabbed the ground if Sasuke hadn't grabbed him by the middle and held him back.

"Stop, Naruto! Lee's the most important thing right now."

Naruto kept struggling for a few more seconds, then Sasuke's words got through to him and he sagged in Sasuke's embrace. They both turned to see what had happened to Lee, who was on the ground surrounded by the other three phantoms. Kiba was holding his hand, so Sasuke knew it was bad. Quickly, they each shot each other a glance before running back across the sand to the injured phantom.

As soon as Sasuke saw the damage, hope plummeted from his chest, leaving it a bare chasm. Gaara had shoved the two shards of the clasp of the bracelet deep into his spine where it connected to his pelvis, and the silver was going to poison him from the inside out. Already, it was spreading through his nervous system, causing little spasms as he tried to talk, which Shikamaru kept trying to keep him from doing.

Shino stood up as Sasuke and Naruto approached. "He's not doing too good. Do you think he'll pull through?"

The silver would have to be extracted, Sasuke knew at least that much. But Lee was a young ghost, so he couldn't remain corporeal for an extraction, which meant that the instruments would have to be made of pure silver, which would only injure him further, and which Sasuke did not have. Not only that, but Sasuke had no formal medical training, and didn't know how to do such a delicate procedure without injuring Lee to the point of death. In other words, the odds of Lee pulling through this were not good.

But what he said was, "Get him to the Hokage, fast. We don't have much time."

The people probably stared again at the strange caravan, a boy with winking bits of light surrounding him followed by a dog and four more people, but Sasuke paid them no attention, instead thinking about what he could do to save Lee. There wasn't much choice; Lee was probably going to die, and become a spiritual spirit. The death would greatly pain the other phantoms, and even cause Sasuke grief, since he had gotten attached to the little band of mischievous ghosts, but he wasn't sure if there was anything he could do about it.

Sasuke thanked whatever or whoever was listening that the Hokage was empty when he and the phantoms burst through the door and entered the dining area carrying Lee.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Kakashi asked, the first person back through the door.

"Yes. I need a large table in a room somewhere where I won't be disturbed."

"Done." He brought Sasuke to a back room he had never seen before, with bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling and a long wooden table in the center. The rest of the room was bare except for a few stools.

"We use it for storage in the winter," Kakashi said by way of an explanation, and Sasuke nodded.

"It's perfect." He gestured to the other phantoms. "Get him in there and lay him on the table face down - I said face down, Kiba!"

"Is there anything else I can do? Anything at all?"

Sasuke cast a single look at Lee, then turned back to Kakashi. "Go up to my room and bring me my suitcase. It's in the middle of the room, zipped up, so just bring it down without opening it."

Turning away, Kakashi noticed Sakura charging in through the door. "You catch that?"

"Yep." Gone and back in a flash, Sakura raced up the stairs and came back down with the suitcase balanced precariously in her arms.

Grabbing the suitcase, Sasuke brought it into the room, dropping it on one of the stools. Kakashi followed close behind him. "Anything else?"

Sasuke placed two hands on Kakashi's chest and shoved him out of the room, shutting the door firmly between them. Muffled through the wood of the door, Sasuke heard, "Point taken."

Taking his hands off the door, Sasuke turned around to face the table where four ghostly gazes were staring at him with fear and hope reflected in their eyes, and a fifth was limply closed. A single glance was it took for his experienced eye to know that Lee was not assured to pull through this. Taking a deep breath, he set out to crush their hopes.

"It doesn't look good for him." Gasps resounded from all around the room, but Sasuke foraged ahead. "Lee's young, and incorporeal- if I could at least touch him, he might have a better chance, but I can't. And I know that Gaara probably didn't know what he was doing, but those silver pieces are going to poison him from the inside out, and there's only one way to stop it." Silently, he withdrew a silver knife from his bag and laid it on one of the stools.

A shocked silence drew over the room, cut open by Kiba's rough, emotional whisper. "You have to… cut it out?"

"There's no other way?" Shikamaru asked, looking slightly sick.

Sasuke didn't respond to the questions, instead placing his hands against the table. "I leave this up to you, since you're his friends: either I try to cut the pieces out, or I try to help Lee fade before he dies and becomes a spectral spirit. Either way, there's a large chance I won't make it in time."

"Can't someone else try to cut them out?" Naruto asked frantically. "Someone with surgical experience?"

"Lee can't be touched by anything but silver. Another ghost couldn't hold the silver, and another human wouldn't be able to see him. I'm your only option."

This proclamation was followed by silence as everyone digested the hard news.

"There's no guarantee he'll fade, either," Shikamaru pointed out. "You talk about it, but I've never seen someone here do it. I don't even know if we can."

"That's why I'm leaving this up to you." Sasuke looked down at the lifeless form of Lee, clenching his fists in anger.

A small whimper broke into the conversation, and they all looked at Lee in amazement. One of his eyes cracked open, and his lips moved, just barely, but enough to speak. "Please, Sasuke," he whispered. "Please, don't let me go. I can't give up. Fight for me." Then his eye closed and he heaved a rasping breath before settling into shallow pants.

A silent moment was lost as they all stared at Lee, then Sasuke slammed his hands down on the table, shocking them all out of their reverie. "You heard him! We're doing the operation, dammit, but I'm going to need all of your help to get it done. Understand?" When four set of eyes turned blankly to him, he roared, "Understand?!"

All the ghosts jumped and nodded.

"Good." Sasuke pointed to Lee. "First thing, take his shirt off."

"But-" Shino tried to protest, but Sasuke cut him off.

"He's dying; this is no time to be worrying about modesty! Take his goddamned clothes off!"

Shino and Kiba started work on stripping Lee, and Sasuke turned to Naruto and Shikamaru, asking, "Do you know any ghosts who were doctors in their lifetimes?"

The two ghosts exchanged a glance. "Well, there is old lady Tsunade," Shikamaru ventured. "She used to be a doctor before she took her stint as owner of the Hokage."

"She sounds perfect; go grab her."

Naruto pointed at the closed door. "We can't; we can't go through walls with these-"

"Fuck it, just come here!" Sasuke grabbed Naruto and unclipped the bracelet from his wrist. "Now go find her, and bring her back as fast as you can!"

The phantom was off like a shot, racing through the wall to find the ghost of the old doctor. When Sasuke turned back to the table, he found Lee stripped to his waist, face down against the table and trembling at the chill air. Nodding in approval, he balanced the suitcase on another one of the stools, next to the one that held the knife, and dug inside it to find some other items he would need for the operation. Sasuke certainly wasn't a doctor, but he could improvise well enough if he was all they had.

Out of the suitcase came a pair of silvery mesh gloves, a cloth of the same silver mesh fabric, and a thin stick painted over with silver. Sasuke carefully wrapped the stick with the cloth so that none of the silver bits were showing, then set it aside, pulling on one of the gloves. Grabbing the arm of Shikamaru, who was the closest to him, Sasuke ran the glove along his skin and asked, "Does this hurt?"

"No. Feels a bit weird, but no pain."

"Good." Sasuke turned back to Lee and gently pressed the pads of two fingers against his back, away from his injury. Lee started to fidget and tremble at the contact, but when Sasuke removed the glove, the skin wasn't red or blistered, so it would be uncomfortable but safe to use on the sensitive ghost's skin. The same might not be true if he stuck it in his mouth, which was the purpose of the stick wrapped in cloth, but they might not need it, so Sasuke decided that he would cross that bridge when they got there. The cloth would allow Sasuke to be able to touch Lee and hold him down in the midst of the operation, so which was important because time was of the essence.

Already, Sasuke could tell that Lee was fading fast, the poison of the silver announcing itself in deep red streaks spreading across his back. If any of those streaks reached his heart or brain, Lee would die instantly, no matter what was happening elsewhere in his body. It was both a blessing and a curse that the silver pieces had gotten lodged in his lower spine: because they were in bone, the path to the heart, usually the easier one, was long and convoluted, so Sasuke had a lot of time before that happened. However, it also meant that the poison had almost a straight shot to his brain through the nerves in his spine, and that was what was holding the crunch of time for Sasuke.

Back through the wall came Naruto now, pulling a ghost behind him that Sasuke assumed was the "old lady Tsunade" referred to before, but she wasn't old at all. In fact, she was a younger middle aged woman with long blond hair, untouched by grey, and a tiny purple star in the middle of her forehead. Looking severely disgruntled at being disturbed, Tsunade crossed her arms and barked at Naruto, "Why have you pulled me from my resting place?"

So this Tsunade was a figure. That would make reasoning with her slightly easier. At least she wasn't a vegetative specter. Stepping forward, Sasuke caught her attention. "Excuse me, Miss. - Tsunade, right? - I heard that you were a doctor when you were alive?"

Tsunade jumped. "Dammit, a human's talkin' to me! I don't know to deal with that!"

Sensing the disaster about to happen, Shikamaru stepped forward. "Tsunade, we need your help. Lee's been hurt real bad, and we gunna need some of your doctor's knowledge to save him."

"You don't normally talk like that, do you?" Sasuke asked Shikamaru out of the corner of his mouth.

"She's mostly isolated, so Tsunade still hasn't lost her old Maine accent. It makes her more comfortable when we speak to her like that, even though it makes me feel like a grumpy old grandfather." Shikamaru whispered back.

Tsunade had turned to see Lee while Sasuke was distracted, and was brushing feather light touches along his skin. "What happened?"

Sasuke gestured to Shikamaru to explain, since she seemed more comfortable listening to him. "He's got silver pieces in his spine. They need to come out, and the human here's the only one who can do it. Can you help us?"

Skating her head sadly at the injury, Tsunade responded, "Anything for my boys. But once he gets better, ya need to come visit me more often, ya hear?"

"Excellent." Sasuke moved forward, and Tsunade jumped again, but held her ground this time. "I need to get the silver out, but since they're in his spine, I don't want to damage any nerves that could lead to paralysis, or worse."

There was an intake of breath from the other ghosts; clearly, they hadn't even considered that possibility yet.

Examining the tiny and surprisingly blood free hole in the small of Lee's back, Tsunade asked, "What instruments do you have?"

Sasuke wordlessly held up the silver knife, and Tsunade stared at it without blinking.

"You're joking."

Still wordless, Sasuke shook his head.

"You're gonna kill him!"

"That's why I need your help." He held up the knife. "This is the only thing that can touch him right now, so it's the only thing I can use."

"Damn." Tsunade fixed Sasuke with a piercing glare, and he felt like she was looking through his body to find his soul, the part of him that would be a ghost if he was dead. "Then you're going to have to do exactly what I tell you. Now grab that knife and get ready to go."

Sasuke nodded, then bent over Lee's back, heart pounding and hands sweating. Laying down the knife in a stool, he wiped his palms on his pants before grabbing the knife again and setting up for the first cut.

The operation itself only took about ten minutes, but it seemed like hours to Sasuke, who spent the entire time with his sweaty hand cramped up around the handle of the knife. At the first biting touch of the silver, Lee had jerked and started to spasm, and the other phantoms had to hold him still so Sasuke didn't make a mistake in his extraction. Throughout the whole experience, Tsunade stood directly over Sasuke, breathing down his neck and barking orders at him, yelling at him when he got too close to a nerve and yelling some more when he wasn't getting close enough or going too slow.

When the knife touched the first silver fragment, Lee had started to scream, so Sasuke had shoved the silver cloth wrapped stick in his mouth. Tears started to stream from the phantom's eyes, but at least he was safe from biting his tongue.

When both silver fragments had been removed and the tip of the knife no longer rested in his flesh, Lee abruptly relaxed, the silver stick covered in cloth dropping from his mouth when his jaw lost the tension. The red patches on his back had gotten bigger during the operation but stopped growing as soon as the silver was gone. A single stripe lead from the small of his back, tracing a path up his spine, and ended just before it connected with his neck. They had made it just in time.

With a shuddering breath, Lee closed his eyes a final time and lay still. Sasuke put his knife down with deep sigh, rubbing his eyes because he had been afraid to blink for the past ten minutes. "Is he asleep? I thought ghosts couldn't go to sleep?"

"We can't." Shikamaru carefully let go of Lee's shoulders, which he had been holding down to prevent him from twisting during the operation. "He's unconscious. It happens sometimes when we exhaust all of our stores of energy in a difficult task. When he stores up enough energy again, he'll wake up."

"Should someone stay with him until he wakes up?"

"I will," Tsunade announced.

All the phantoms shot looks among themselves before Naruto stepped forward. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go back? I'll bring you back to where you belong if you want, Grans. You don't need to stay by Lee; we can do that."

But Tsunade shook her head. "I helped with the operation, so he's my patient now, and I never leave a patient until they're completely healed."

"In that case…" Sasuke shot a dark look at the door, where he knew people would be crowding around, waiting for an explanation. "I need to go fend off the masses."

Shikamaru shot one last look at Tsunade, who was gently brushing the hair away from Lee's eyes with a supple hand, then nodded for the group. "We'll come with you."

The other phantoms nodded in agreement, then Naruto jumped up. "My bracelet! You took it off so I could go get the Old Lady! Where'd it go?"

For a second, Sasuke heart jumped up into his throat; those bracelets were expensive, and he had already lost Lee's, so he couldn't lose Naruto's as well. Then he calmed down as he remembered shoving it in his pocket when he had hastily removed it from the ghost earlier, and he brought it out with relief washing through him. "Here it is."

Naruto stuck his arm out for Sasuke to reattach it around his wrist, but Kiba jumped in between them. "Woah, woah, wait a minute! You're gonna put that thing back on? Voluntarily?"

"Of course I am," Naruto snapped, pushing Kiba out of the way. "I'm not like you, Kiba. These people, no matter what Sasuke's told them about me, still believe, in a secret part of their hearts, the story of the fox curse of Uzumaki, something that even I don't believe exists. How can I overcome a false curse other than to beat it with the truth? I can't afford to be misunderstood even once, because with all the real information Kakashi's been getting about ghosts, he really might be able to do some damage to me! So, yes, I want to wear the bracelet, because it may be the only thing keeping everyone from jumping at my throat!"

"Hey, break it up!" Sasuke seized both of their wrists, glaring at them authoritatively. "Are you really going to fight in your friend's sickroom, where he was just on his deathbed?" Both ghosts hung their heads in shame, and Sasuke nodded approval. "Now behave."

Quickly fixing the bracelet back on Naruto's wrist then replacing all his tools back into his suitcase, Sasuke prepared to leave the room. Casting one last glance at the other ghosts, the phantoms who were set to follow him, the unconscious ghost on the table, and the mild lady brushing hair away from his eyes, Sasuke pushed open the door.

To his surprise, there was no crowd waiting to push past him and ask a million questions. For a second, the silence stunned Sasuke, then he walked a few steps forward into the room, noticing that it was completely empty. Where had they all gone? The last he had seen, at least Kakashi and Sakura had been standing there.

Voices on the other side of the doorway, which lead into the entrance hallway used by regular guests, caught his attention, and Sasuke walked toward it.

"Where is the Uchiha?" A familiar voice asked, one that should not be there. _Oh, God. He wouldn't!_

Kakashi answered firmly, "He is unavailable at the moment. If you would care to wait here, he should be out shortly."

"I don't think you understand. The Uchiha is expecting me. I need to see him now."

 _He didn't!_

"And I don't think you understand. This is a formal establishment, and while you are here, you will behave according to our rules."

A disgraceful sniff was heard. "If this is an establishment that makes its customers wait for such simple things, I'd hate to see what your official rules are."

 _Fuck it, the Hyuuga came early!_

Sasuke should have seen it coming; it was a common thing in their circles of society to arrive the day before the day they said they would arrive, just to make sure that they weren't being taken advantage of or to foil any arrival surprises. And here he was, probably all prim and proper, and here Sasuke was, casually dressed, sweaty, tired, and generally unkempt. Well, he dared that fancy Hyuuga to come of a battle with a draugr as well as Sasuke had.

Appearing suddenly in the doorway, Sasuke leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms, leveling a glare at Neji Hyuuga. "I thought you said you were coming tomorrow." His eyes roved across the room, taking in the details of the rest of the occupants. Sakura, Ino, and Choji stood to one side of the room, Kakashi on the other, and they were all staring with open hostility at the the two people in the center of the room.

Neji was standing haughtily in the center of room, a girl maybe a year or two younger than him close to his side, both with identical pale eyes. And sure enough, he was wearing a pressed suit and tie, and gave Sasuke an almost disdainful look at his attire. "I arrived early because-"

"Save your breath; I know why you're here."

The Hyuuga was clearly not used to being cut off, and he floundered in silence for a few seconds. Sasuke smirked at his expression. "And please forgive my appearance. This tends to happen when you perform spinal cord surgery with knife meant for cutting steaks."

A gasp came from the girl, probably his cousin Hinata, but Neji shot her a look and she quieted. "I do believe that you're telling me an untruth, Uchiha."

"Oh, he's telling the truth all right," Naruto quipped, appearing floating in the doorway next to Sasuke. "I can verify that."

Upon seeing Naruto, Hinata's pale eyes rolled up in her head and she dropped into a dead faint. Luckily, Sakura had seen her start to fall and darted forward to grab her, Ino and Choji not far behind, and together they managed to get her onto a nearby couch. Neji, for his part, was staring in shock at Naruto.

"Holy shit!"

"That's what I said," Sasuke said with an even wider smirk. "It's your fault if you didn't believe me."

"Believe you about what?" Shikamaru asked, pushing Naruto out of the way and floating in through the door.

If possible, Neji's pale eyes got even paler and wider. "Holy shit!"

"I believe you already said that." Shino pulled Kiba through the doorway, the last ones to enter the room. "How about a 'good morning' now?"

An open mouthed Neji gaped back and forth between the ghosts and Sasuke. "There's four of them? Four pure phantoms, all in one place?"

"Actually, there's five. The last one's the one I just performed spinal cord surgery on."

Unable to stand any longer, Neji sank into the nearest chair. "Holy shit."

Sasuke smiled; he really liked it when he was right. "Why do you think I called you here?"


	15. Enter the Hyuuga

And another one is complete, albeit a little short. The next one will be longer, I think. Anyways.

And thanks to **Uchihas-don't-whine** for another great review! Thanks for noticing all the little details I put in; it makes me feel great that someone pays enough attention to get the subtle things! Thanks so much for reading my story!

* * *

An open mouthed Neji gaped back and forth between the ghosts and Sasuke. "There's four of them? Four pure phantoms, all in one place?"

"Actually, there's five. The last one's the one I just performed spinal cord surgery on."

Unable to stand any longer, Neji sank into the nearest chair. "Holy shit."

Sasuke smiled; he really liked it when he was right. "Why do you think I called you here?"

"I don't know, maybe a bad feeling about some misidentified coherent specter and some ramblings about Akatsuki. But five pure phantoms…!" He shook his head in amazement. "I'd give anything to examine them."

"Ask them yourself," Sasuke said with a trace of humor. "They'd probably say yes."

"Jesus." Neji passed a hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry; I've just never seen a phantom before, so it's hitting me kind of hard."

Sitting by Hinata's head, Sakura turned to Neji suspiciously. "How did you know they were phantoms right away? Sasuke said that he had to do research to confirm it before he knew they were phantoms and not draugrs."

"You did?" Neji asked, shooting Sasuke a look.

"It's because of the differences between our gifts." Sasuke tapped the side of his forehead. "My family specializes in innovation and invention to do with dealing with ghosts, making objects like those bracelets and learning how to fight dangerous ghosts, but the Hyuugas' power lies in their vast powers of perception, far greater than the Uchiha gift. Each family has a second level of power as well, but those are kept secret and hidden, even from each other."

"Hm." Neji seemed impressed by this. "Even I didn't know that about your family, that you're inventors and fighters. Because of our powers of perception, we never have to confront dangerous ghosts because we can see their powers and aggression levels as a colored aura. I guess you'd say that we're the passive branch of the family, and you're the aggressive side."

"Family?" Sasuke frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you know? The Uchihas and the Hyuugas were one family a long time ago that split in two, forming the two families we know today. That's why our powers are so similar. In some way, Uchiha, I'm almost like your cousin."

"Huh." Now it was Sasuke's turn to impressed. "I didn't know that. But what about your actual cousin, Hyuuga? Did you forget about her?"

"My…?" Neji's eyes went wide as he realized. "Oh, shit! Hinata!" He jumped up and shooed Sakura and their others away from his cousin, taking her place at her head.

"Does she do that normally?" Sakura asked, a little tentatively.

"Yes, every so often. She's been sheltered most of her life, so she hasn't seen many powerful spirits before. Your blondie over there's the most powerful ghost she's ever seen, so it must have given her system a shock. As I said, we tend to avoid dangerous ghosts, so that means avoiding one with high power levels." He gently began waving above Hinata's face, causing a soft current of air.

"Hear that?" Naruto gleefully elbowed Sasuke in the side. "I'm the most powerful ghost she's ever seen."

"That's not much," Shikamaru scoffed. "She fainted before seeing the rest of us, remember?"

"Ha! You're just jealous!" Sticking out his tongue, Naruto blew a loud raspberry to the other ghosts, who all prepared to jump him except for Shikamaru, who shook his head and leaned against the wall with a smirk belaying his air of annoyance.

Stepping in at the last second before feathers flew, Sasuke diffused the tension by asking, "Shouldn't you be a little more worried about how she's doing? You did knock the poor girl out, after all."

"Oh, yeah." Naruto darted over to the couch to watch the unconscious form of Hinata as she slowly started to wake. Shaking his head, Sasuke followed him, marveling at the social ineptitude possessed by the giddy phantom.

As Hinata's eyes slowly cracked open, Neji picked up her head and cradled it in his lap. "Hey, Hinata. You okay now?"

The girl blinked her pale eyes a few times, then reached up to touch her cousin's face. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"That's good!" Naruto plopped down next to her on the couch, and grabbed her hand, vigorously shaking it. "Hi! I'm Naruto! Sorry about earlier, by the way. I mean, I just walked in and you were like, poof! Out like a light! Hey, do you do that often? Cause I-"

He cut off as Hinata fainted again.

Everyone stared at her, a little shocked, then Neji rounded on Naruto. "You made her faint again!"

Jumping up and raising his hands in a gesture of innocence, Naruto protested, "I didn't mean to! It wasn't on purpose! She just…" He trailed off, making a flopping gesture with his hands.

Standing up, Neji ripped off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. "That's it. You can mess with me all you want, but you never - EVER - mess with my cousin. She's like a sister to me. Put 'em up, Blondie!"

"Woah, woah!" Naruto put his hands up, trying to back away. "I'm sorry, okay? Is that better?"

"Not even close!" With a snarl, Neji launched himself at Naruto.

But he never connected. Sasuke pulled Naruto out of the way, holding the phantom close against around the waist, and surprisingly, Shikamaru launched himself from his place by the wall to grab Neji and hold him back.

"Easy, stallion," he murmured in Neji's ear before releasing him and floating languidly back to his spot on the wall, leaving Neji to stare confusedly after him and Sasuke to wonder if Shikamaru had copped a feel while holding Neji back from attacking Naruto.

"N-Neji," a timid voice whispered from the couch. Every head in the room turned towards Hinata, who was sitting up on the couch. "P-please don't hurt him."

"Why not?" Neji asked, fuming silently, wondering himself if he had just been molested by a ghost.

"Be- be- because I- I…" Hinata blushed furiously and hid her face in her hands. "Ifinkhisrillcudd!"

"What?" Neji reached down and took Hinata's hands away from her mouth. "Speak up, Hinata!"

"I don't want you to hurt him," she said, gulping, "Because I think he's really cute!" Everyone froze in silence as she continued, blushing even harder. "I like him, so you can't hurt him!"

"This is an interesting development," Shikamaru remarked from the back of the room as Neji sat down hard on the floor, brain appearing to have short circuited from shock.

Naruto, for his part, seemed to think it was a hilarious development. He walked up to Hinata and doffed an imaginary cap for her, bowing low. "And has m'lady fainted from my insurmountable cuteness, or my indomitable power?"

"B- both," Hinata admitted in a trembling whisper.

"Both?! You hear that?" Naruto turned back to the other ghosts, triumph in his eyes. "I'm powerful _and_ cute! You all could probably take lessons from me!" He turned back to Hinata and took her hand in both of his, falling to one knee. "And would like to learn my name, or would it best suit you to simply call me 'pumpkin'?"

"Alright, 'pumpkin'," Sasuke said, feeling a surge of jealousy in his chest. "Stop flirting with the guests. They're here for a purpose, you know."

Jumping up, Naruto also bowed low for Sasuke. "Don't worry, m'lord! I know my place and purpose." He straightened up and whispered in Sasuke's ear, letting a hand slide over his own neck, "And don't worry. I remember who gave me _this_."

"That a promise?" Sasuke murmured, low enough for only Naruto to hear.

"We'll just have to wait and see, now won't we?"

"I have a feeling I missed a lot of what just happened," Sakura commented, looking confusedly as the mass of empty space in front of her that she knew contained bodies that she couldn't see.

"Don't worry. You're not missing anything important," Kakashi observed dryly. Even with his eye covered, he could still hear them, Sasuke realized. "If I didn't know better, I'd think it was just an exercise in introducing the characterization of two new people and building a foundation for their interactions with other people, and we were just sitting silently off to the side because we weren't needed for a while."

"Well, isn't it a good thing that this is real and we aren't in a story, Kakashi," Sasuke said sarcastically. "Otherwise literary devices would rule our lives, and then what would happen?"

Kakashi's single eye misted over and his voice took on a glazed tone. "I don't know, but I bet it would involve lots of drama in the forms of relationship problems set in the middle of our adventure, which would just be stupid. I mean, who has the time to worry about a boyfriend when you're fighting evil?"

"Naw, we just do that in between battles." Everyone looked at Sakura when she said this, so she hunched her shoulders slightly, a little afraid of all the stares. "What? Wasn't anyone else thinking the same thing?"

"Anyway," Sasuke said firmly, "we are moving forward, on and away from - whatever that was. Hyuuga, I asked you here to - Neji, are you even listening to me?"

Neji was still sitting, unresponsive, on the floor, so Hinata giggled prettily and poked her cousin. "N- Neji?" She said sweetly. "I think you should wake up now."

With a jolt, Neji came out of his stupor and shook his head. Showing remarkable clarity for one who was just practically in a coma, he straightened his tie, put his jacket back on, and faced Sasuke. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

Sasuke sighed; having the Hyuuga on board was going to be a struggle the whole way, he could already tell. "I brought you here because I want you to confirm the Akatsuki sightings. If there really is Akatsuki here, we need to investigate what they're doing, and why they picked Konoha to do it in. Your eyes are greater at perception than mine, so I'm going to need your help for this. Are you in?"

Neji internalized all this, then asked simply, "When do we leave?"

Sasuke felt a happy jump in his heart. Perhaps working with Neji wasn't going to be as bad and he had envisioned. "As soon as possible."

"Excellent." Neji looked at his cousin, still on the couch, then at the twin suitcases still sitting next to the door. "Hinata and I need somewhere to stay while we're in Konoha. I had assumed you had made arrangements, Uchiha, since you asked us here, but since I did come early I will give you the benefit of the doubt if they are not yet ready, though you should have guessed that we would make an early appearance and made arrangements for it."

Shit, Sasuke had completely forgotten about that. He cast a panicked glance at Kakashi, but the owner of the Hokage was already shaking his head. He opened his mouth, prepared to bullshit his way out of this one, but stopped as he remembered the empty rooms in his suite, the ones his father and mother had planned to occupy before they had canceled their portion of the trip. Neji and Hinata would fit nicely in those rooms.

"I have two empty rooms in my suite. They were intended for my parents, but since they didn't come with me to Konoha, they're empty. I believe they will suit you quite well."

Sasuke did not miss the wink of gratitude Kakashi sent his way. Seriously, was that man at all worried about his town, or just the money? But Neji was nodding in approval, so Sasuke let it go.

"Yes, I think that will do quite nicely," he said thoughtfully. "If you will show us the way, we will secure our belongings, than you and I can go about our business. There is, after all, no time like the present. Am I correct?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's go with that." Picking up his own suitcase, which he had placed down on the floor at the edge of the room at the start of the conversation, Sasuke started up the stairs. "It's this way. Come on."

Neji and Hinata grabbed their suitcases and started to follow Sasuke, but Kakashi's call stopped all of them. "Sasuke!"

Turning back around to the faces of four anxious people below him, Sasuke asked, "What is it?"

"How's Lee?"

This gave Sasuke pause. He had forgotten that he hadn't told the rest of them how the operation had went, and was touched that they thought enough of the little ghost to ask about him. "He's going to be fine," he said, and all their faces alighted into smiles, putting warmth into Sasuke's heart. "We weren't sure for a bit there, but he's going to pull through."

"Shino and Kiba went to check on him about five minutes ago," Shikamaru said in a lazy drawl, and Sasuke winced, not even having noticed them leave. "We'll let you know when he wakes up, Sasuke."

"That's good." Turning back to the Hyuugas, he gestured up the stairs again. "It's suite 2B, top of the stairs. Come with me."

In the suite, Hinata quickly skipped off to the larger of the two rooms, shutting the door behind her to unload her clothes out from under the watchful eyes of boys, but not before uttering a stuttering thanks to Sasuke.

Neji, on the other hand, pulled Sasuke bodily into his room and left the suitcase packed on the bed rather than taking his clothes out. Crossing his arms over his chest, he fixed Sasuke with a look. "I have something I want to talk to you about, Uchiha."

Sasuke held up a hand. "Please, Neji, call me Sasuke. I think we've moved beyond that. And I know, Hinata isn't going to see any combat. I'll have Sakura come up and keep her company while we work."

"That's not what I was going to say… Sasuke." Well, at least he said it, albeit grudgingly. "I wanted to make absolutely certain that my cousin is off limits. Do you hear me?"

Sasuke couldn't help it; he giggled - a wretchedly unmanly sound - a little. Neji, however, did not look amused.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, just that I'm the last person you need to be telling that to." Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, surprised and elated at how easily the admission came now, and silently thanking Sakura for what she had done. "I bat for the other team, Neji."

"Oh." The only reaction from Neji was his eyebrows drawing closer together. "Then I have something else I'm worried about. Those ghosts are all so free minded; do you think they'll try to sneak into Hinata's room at night?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Lee's injured, Shino and Kiba are two full of each other, and Shikamaru's to lazy to do anything."

"What about the other phantom, the one she liked; Naruto, I think you called him? Would he be an issue?"

Stuck by jealousy, Sasuke pointed his nose in the air and snapped, "Naruto sleeps with me." Then his face flushed as he realized what he had said; he had practically admitted that the phantom was his lover! Even if they hadn't gotten that far yet. But still, he didn't take it back, and while Neji's eyes did widen in surprise at first, he soon nodded with more confidence than before, clearly put at ease that his cousin was completely safe from ghosts coming into her room in the night.

"You should probably change," Sasuke suggested. "It's not going to be comfortable wearing a suit in a town like this; people tend to give you funny looks."

Neji considered this, then nodded. "I shall change my shirt, then the two of us shall be off. How does that sound?"

"Perhaps more than just the shirt," Sasuke suggested dryly. "Don't you have any casual attire with you?"

Neji's eyes drew together. "I guess so. Dressing informally is not something I usually do, but I may be able to find something."

"You'll need it," Sasuke warned. "It gets humid in these seaside Maine towns, as I've learned, so a layered suit is both impossible and impractical."

"In that case, I shall endeavor to find something more suitable, and then we shall be off." Neji turned towards his suitcase in a clear dismissal.

The move grated on Sasuke a little; it was, after all, in a room that he was in charge of that Neji was staying in. Determined to get the last word, he ducked out the door, then stuck his head back in. "You had best _endeavor_ to find some shorts, else there be sweat stains 'neath your royal pits 'ere the day comes to its most brilliant close."

Then he jumped away from the door with a laugh before Neji could respond. Taking a quick detour into his own room, Sasuke took stock of what was left of his supplies. Today, during the fight, two of the knives had been lost, but he had another spare, so he packed that inside his satchel, as well as the silver cross. The vial that had held holy water before the fight was long gone, lost during the second scuffle with Gaara, and the backup mason jar he had was now fully empty. Sasuke growled at the sight, knowing that he would have to replenish his stock sooner or later, sooner preferably, and he just didn't know how to do it here.

Making a mental note to ask Kakashi where he could get some more holy water the next time he saw the masked man, Sasuke started out to go back downstairs, passing the open door to the room Neji was staying in as he did so. He didn't try to look, but as he passed to entrance, the voice of Shikamaru drifted out, as lazy sounding as ever.

"You seem like you'd be a good chess player."

"As a matter of fact, I am," Neji responded coldly. "I've won several competitions in the region where I live."

The response was unhurried. "I like chess."

A beat of silence followed where Neji was clearly expecting more, then he demanded, "And?"

"Do you wanna play some time?"

Shaking his head, Sasuke continued on his way. It appeared that Neji was being given the same treatment he himself had gotten from Shikamaru when he first had appeared in Konoha. The ghost may put up a facade of being lazy, but when it came to the safety of his friends, he would go to any length to protect them. That spoke volumes about the ghost's character.

Sighing, Sasuke sat down in a comfortable armchair in the main lobby of the Hokage. Everyone else had vanished, presumably to go do the jobs Kakashi actually paid them to do, and he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, enjoying the few stolen moments of quiet, without anyone who needed saving or an explanation or to rely on him. Sometimes, it was nice to be alone.

A gentle weight settled against Sasuke's head, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. And sometimes, it was to have some company, too.

"Crazy morning," Naruto commented, trailing his hand across Sasuke's shoulder and resting his cheek against his hair.

"Definitely," Sasuke agreed, not opening his eyes.

Naruto swooped down to press a delicate kiss, soft as the caress of a butterfly's wings, across his cheek. "Tired?"

"That goes without saying. I need a nap from all that excitement." As Naruto slipped his arms around Sasuke's neck, brushing the top of his blond head of hair under his jaw, Sasuke leaned against the warm phantom. "But this is just as good."

"You think?" Naruto started to slowly rock back forth, lulling Sasuke a little.

"Mm- hm." The warmth and contact was almost putting Sasuke to sleep. "You're so warm, like my own little personal sun. I like it when you're near me."

A chuckle vibrated against the skin of Sasuke's collar. "You're only saying that because you're so out of it right now. You'd never admit that to my face if you were lucid."

"But does it make you happy?"

"Oh, yes." Naruto's voice deepened. "Very happy."

"Then try asking me sometime when I'm fully awake. Maybe I'd be able to say it straighter."

Another kiss was pressed to Sasuke's cheek, this one lasting longer. "You said it perfectly fine the first time, Sasuke. I know what you mean."

"Good." Sasuke let his head loll back on his shoulders, leaning back against the warmth that was his personal dawn. "Then be quiet so I can get some sleep. Neji's going to be back soon, and then I'll have to take him to watch the Akatsuki."

"You want me to take you guys to the shack with the dark auras?" Naruto murmured. "That's where they'll probably be, if there is Akatsuki here."

"I'd be honored," Sasuke said with as much dignity as his sleepy voice could muster. "Now just stay there and let me sleep on you."

The last thing Sasuke heard before the darkness of sleep claimed him - even if only for a short time - was Naruto's chuckle, getting in the last word. "As you wish, my lord."


	16. Akatsuki

I literally have been trying to post this chapter for the past hour, but it's too long and broke either my computer or the website, because it wouldn't upload. Not just taking too long to upload, but physically couldn't, like redirect and error couldn't. So I split it in two pieces; not what I wanted to do, but it will do. Just pretend it's all one chapter.

And sorry that it took so long, but I had crazy stuff happen. I dont think I'll be able to make my origional Sunday and Thursday deadlines, but just know that this story is not going to be finished. I'm not a quitter;) And I already have two spinoff stories planned, so even more motivation to finish.

And before anyone says anything, I know I'm not using Akatsuki the exact way it's used in the source material. Sometimes I refer to a single person as 'an Akatsuki' and a group to be 'an Akatsuki group'. It's for the sake of the story, so it has to be like that.

* * *

A fitful nap later, Sasuke was shaken out of his sleep by Naruto poking him in the cheek. "Hey, wake up. Neji's coming down."

The tendrils of sleep left Sasuke slowly, and he reluctantly relinquished them and sat up, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes. If Naruto had let him, he was sure that he would have slept right through Neji's entrance and more, possibly for another hour or so, until that strange lethargy that had suddenly come over him was dispelled. As it was, Sasuke had to shake his head vigorously a few times to wake himself up enough to focus on the sound of Neji's feet tapping down the stairs.

Neji nodded as soon as he saw Sasuke. "Ah, good; you're up. I was worried that you'd be asleep and I'd have to wake you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What-?" He started to ask, but the annoyed sounding Neji cut him off.

"Perception, remember?" He tapped his forehead, near the corner of his eye.

Sulking a little for being cut off, Sasuke observed the new attire of the pompous Hyuuga: shorts and an untucked button down shirt. Looking uncomfortable in the casual attire, he pulled at his collar, but at least he wasn't wearing the pressed suit anymore.

Standing up from the chair, Sasuke gestured to Naruto, who had leaned away from him as soon as Neji had appeared. "He's going to bring us to where they think the Akatsuki is. You ready to head out?"

"As I'll ever be," Neji said with a frown, pulling his long brown hair in the ponytail over his shoulder a little self-consciously. "I usually don't head for the dangerous ghosts, so this is strange for me."

"You'll get used to it," Sasuke intoned flatly, shrugging his satchel over his shoulder and turning to Naruto. "You ready?"

Naruto bit his lip. "Can I go check on Lee first?"

"Sure, but he probably won't be awake yet."

Fighting a little, Naruto responded, "I know, but I feel kind of responsible. Gaara was pissed because of the time we fought him, right? If that hadn't happened, he might not have snapped and attacked Lee."

A twinge of guilt twisted up Sasuke's own stomach, though he pushed it down to answer. "Maybe. Just be quick, okay?"

With a swift nod, Naruto shot off and Sasuke was left alone with Neji, who raised an eyebrow at him. "It seems like you've got your hands full just keeping track of them all. Who's this 'Gaara'?"

"One of the deadliest draugrs I've ever met." Sasuke sighed, pushing his hair, which was a little messy from his recent nap, out of his eyes. "You'll learn how to remember them all. It's not hard, especially when they all have such distinct personalities."

"Hmph." Neji snorted delicately. "I'll concur with you on that. That tall one with the ponytail - Shikamaru, was his name? - was just trying to get me to play a game of chess with him. What's his deal?"

Sasuke felt a smirk start to crawl across his face. "Shikamaru is … interesting. He's one of the laziest people I've ever met, ghost or no, but he's a genius, and he cares about his friends a lot. If he wants to play a game with you, I would suggest you do it. It's his way of getting to know someone, to see if he would trust them around his friends."

"Did he ask you to play a game?"

Smiling a little at the memory, Sasuke nodded. "He's very perceptive, and I would say his strategies are … interesting as well, but if you want to be accepted by him, I suggest you play the next time he offers. Naruto may be the unofficial leader of the group of phantoms, but Shikamaru is the unseen driving force that keeps them together."

Naruto jumped back through the open doorway, interrupting their conversation. Immediately, Sasuke stopped talking, not wanting Naruto to hear what he was saying about Shikamaru. Ironically enough, the phantom put a lot of energy into maintaining his lazy facade, and Sasuke didn't want to be the one to ruin it.

"He's not awake yet, but Tsunade says he's getting a little fidgety, which means he should wake up soon," Naruto informed them, latching onto Sasuke's arm.

"That's good," Sasuke answered a little absentmindedly, still thinking about Shikamaru. Shaking his head a little, he brought himself back to reality. "Are you ready now?"

"Yeah." Naruto floated above the carpet a few inches, then started moving towards the door. "Let's get to it."

Watching with amusement as he floated dangerously close to the door, Sasuke warned, "The bracelet, Naruto-"

But the warning came too late as Naruto tried to pass through the door and was jerked back by his silver bracelet, which refused to pass through the solid wood. Sasuke tried unsuccessfully to hide a laugh and Naruto came flying back through the door, swearing, and Neji raised an eyebrow at the ghost's antics.

"Is it always like this here?"

"Depends," Sasuke answered, opening the door and letting Naruto float out ahead of him with as much dignity as he could muster. "Sometimes it's worse. Before the others found out about the ghosts, this one liked to play a game where he told inappropriate jokes in public to try to get a rise out of me."

"Oh, come on!" Naruto shouted back as they all started to walk down the main street of Konoha. "You know you liked it!"

Thankfully, Neji ignored this and asked another question. "What kind of … inappropriate jokes?"

"Ones like this!" Naruto immediately took in a deep breath that puffed out his chest and began to sing very loudly. _"Let it out, let it out! Can't masterbate any more! Let it out, let it out! Turn away and cum on the floor!"_

Neji's only reaction was to raise an eyebrow. "How very amusing. Did you write that song yourself?"

Even Sasuke, in conjecture with Naruto, rounded on him in disbelief after that, and Neji shifted uncomfortably under the twin stares of horror.

"What?"

Shaking his head in disappoint, Sasuke asked, "Are you so out of touch with reality that you don't even recognize one of the most popular Disney songs of our generation? It's been literally everywhere for the past few years!"

Haughtily, Neji stuck his nose in the air to cover up his blush. "I- I just have a lot of things to do… Not much leisure time…"

Sasuke clapped the uncomfortable boy on his shoulder. "Well, all you have to do is spend a few weeks here, and that will all change. Take it from someone who has already had the miracle of Konoha happen to them."

"Yeah!" Naruto chimed in. "He was an antisocial asshole when he first got here, and now look at him!"

"Hey! That's me you're talking about, idiot!"

A ghost of a smile drifted across Neji's face. "Yes, I do remember him being like that."

Whipping his head around to glare in the other direction, Sasuke snapped at Neji, "Watch what you're saying! I'm the one who invited you here, remember?"

A smugly superior look came over Neji's face. "That's because you need me."

Unable to come up with a comeback to that, Sasuke scowled and stewed in his anger until Naruto stopped walking abruptly. With a trembling arm, he pointed at a building a good five hundred feet away.

"There it is. If there's any Akatsuki in Konoha, they'll be in there."

Sasuke started forward towards the rundown shack, but Naruto caught his arm. "No! Don't go any closer! This is as close as we can get without them noticing us."

Neji's eyes narrowed. "You've had run-ins with them before?"

"Sort of." Naruto's eyes were wide with fear. "We saw them when they first came, in the black clocks with the red clouds, but we haven't seen them since. Every time we get close to here, they send out tendrils of power to grab us, and it's dark and cold and terrifying! I'm never going near there again!" By the time his speech ended, Naruto's teeth were practically chattering and he was shaking at the memory of what had happened in the past.

Sasuke reached out and gently patted the stricken ghost on his head, and Naruto reverted to the appearance of a five year old and clung to him. Neji raised an eyebrow at this, clearly surprised at the phantom's shift in appearance, but said nothing and instead turned his attention to the shack.

"How are we going to get in to check?" Sasuke mused, gently brushing Naruto's hair back from his face in an almost motherly gesture.

Neji appeared to be weighing some great decision in his mind. Abruptly, he sharply inclined his head, decision made, and turned to Sasuke. "I can find out from here."

"Really?" Sasuke regarded him with respect. "How?"

Pausing hesitantly, Neji nervously drew breath to speak. "You know that we Hyuuga have another level to our Byakugan, as you Uchiha have for your Sharingan? Well, if I utilize that upper level… I can see the spirits inside that shack from here."

Sasuke drew in a surprised breath. He knew that the Hyuuga's gift had higher perception skills than his own, but he didn't know exactly how powerful it was. If he was able to see at great distances, through walls and into buildings, then it put the perception ability of the Sharingan to shame. However, the Sharingan had one other thing that went with it that placed it, in Sasuke's opinion, a little higher in strength than the Byakugan.

Then what Neji was really offering hit him. The secret of his clan, the highest level of power of his gift: he was willing to divulge it to Sasuke in order to help him. He would use his gift in Sasuke's presence, something he was probably forbidden to do by his clan, as Sasuke was by his, to find the Akatsuki. It was humbling that Neji was willing to go to those lengths when he and Sasuke were still virtually strangers.

"You would do that?" Sasuke asked, almost not daring to hope.

Unnaturally stiff, Neji answered, "If you would like me to."

A wide, relieved smile broke across Sasuke's face. "That is why I called you here, to be my second set of eyes."

A similar relieved look crept across Neji's face. "I'm glad you understand."

"As am I," Sasuke replied, inclining his head slightly.

Naruto looked back and forth between them as Neji turned away and stared intently at the house. "Did I miss something?"

"Nothing you need to know," Sasuke muttered to Naruto.

"Hmph." Naruto clearly wasn't happy, but he let it pass. "How can you see them from here? Even I can't feel their power from this far away."

"Watch and learn," Neji said with a smirk, closing his eyes.

A look of concentration took over Neji's face, displacing the superior smirk from before. Sasuke's skin started to crawl as an aura of power, almost visible to his trained eye, gathered around the Hyuuga as he prepared to fuel his powers. Lines started to appear on his forehead, lines the veins were throbbing from too much pressure, then his eyes exploded open all at once with a power infused shout.

"Byakugan!"

Neji's eyes were pure white now, with no hint of iris or pupil, and they were menacing to behold. They looked on Sasuke without looking at him, seeming to see him and yet see through him at the same time, dragging all his secrets up to the surface, and he shuddered. Slowly, Neji turned his terrifying gaze to the shack and narrowed his eyes almost to slits.

"There are five of them, black cloaked draugrs decorated with hellish red clouds and with power levels exceeding normal spiritual boundaries. There is to be no doubt; this is a group of Akatsuki."

A cold wave of fear washed over Sasuke. "Damn. What are they doing?"

"It appears we have caught them in the midst of planning. The leader appears to be a man with multiple piercings on his face, and it looks as if he is briefing the others on some topic of great importance." Neji turned his unearthly white gaze on Sasuke, who shuddered under its weight. "Would you like me to try and find out what they are planning?"

"If you can," Sasuke instructed dubiously. "Don't do anything too dangerous. We don't know if they would be able to sense your probing if you listen too hard."

"Understood." Neji nodded before focusing once more on the shack. "The leader is angry, saying that there have been no results. They appear to be searching for something."

"What?" Sasuke edged.

"Be quiet," Neji snapped. "I can't concentrate if you talk."

Sasuke snapped his mouth shut, listening intently as Neji started talking again. "There is a blond who looks like a woman but is actually a man, and he appears to be taking the brunt of the punishment, but the fault actually lies with a man whose face is entirely covered in a mask. The fourth man had an unfortunate green complexion, and he is defending the masked man from the blond's accusations. The last one isn't even paying attention but is sitting in the corner and… Oh, God, he's stabbing himself over and over again with a silver knife - and he's enjoying it."

Neji had to break away from the horrific sight then, and he turned away and wretched as Sasuke watched in horror and Naruto backed away from the shack in a terrified panic.

"I'm sorry," Neji apologized with his eyes still glowing a deadly white. "I don't usually have to pay so much attention to someone who is so twisted."

"It's alright," Sasuke assured him, trying to clamp down on the nausea rising in his own stomach. "Can you find out what they're looking for?"

"I can try," Neji said with a slight frown. "They're mostly focusing on the mistake, and I'm limited to what I can hear, so I don't know."

"Just try," Sasuke urged, and Neji nodded slowly after a moment of consideration.

"Alright." Trembling slightly from the amount of energy he was using, Neji turned back to the shack. "Perhaps it would be better if I just relayed their conversation?"

"If you can."

Neji nodded, then closed his eyes, and Sasuke got the sense that he was going even further into his gift.

"We can't afford any more mistakes, Deidara!"

The voice that came out of Neji was gruff and not at all his own, and it caused Sasuke to jump. Eyes still screwed tightly shut, Neji continued to repeat what was happening inside the shack in voices that didn't belong to him.

"I said I was sorry, Pain! Tobi-"

The whiny voice was cut off by the first gruff one. "I don't care what Tobi did! Was it or was it not you that that set that building on fire?"

A third voice, slightly hoarse, cut in. "If it has anything to do with fire, it had to be Deidara."

"I don't appreciate your input, Zetsu."

The whiny voice came in again. "Fine, it was me! I made a judgement call, and it was the wrong one! I don't see the big-"

"You fucking idiot!" Another new voice cut in, even deeper and gruffer than the first one. "Deidara, do you even remember why we're here? Why we've stayed in this godforsaken town for three years now? God fuck it, do you even remember what we're looking for?"

"Tobi knows! Tobi knows!" Yet another voice made its appearance, but this one was almost childish in nature. "We're here to find the secret spiritual force that resides in Konoha and steal it, giving us the power of immortality that every ghost within the town limits inexplicably possesses. Then we can rule the world and nobody can stop us from eating ice cream past our bedtimes!"

Sasuke almost choked. Who would have thought it would be that easy? But Neji kept speaking, so he kept listening.

"Thank you for that," the fourth voice said sarcastically. "You dipshit, Tobi! Know one cares about eating ice cream!"

"Tobi likes ice cream," the childish voice muttered.

"Hidan!" The first voice that had spoken, presumably the leader, shouted to the owner of the sarcastic voice. "Could you stop picking on Tobi for one minute? All of you just be quiet!" Everything fell silent, and Neji took a deep breath that mirrored the one being taken inside the shack. "We are running out of time. We all remember what happened with Orochimaru; we can't let anyone suffer that fate again."

Sasuke froze at the mention of Orochimaru. What did the former Akatsuki who had driven his brother mad have to do with anything? It took all his willpower to force his attention back to Neji to catch the rest of the leader's speech.

"We Akatsuki are a dying breed. With advances in modern technology, it's becoming harder and harder to live the life required of an Akatsuki without being caught, so less and less of us are being born again every year. If we want to preserve our race, we have to protect our oldest and most vulnerable. Deidara, you remember how we lost Sasori."

"You just had to bring it up, didn't you?" The whiny voice asked in a tone that seemed thick, as if with tears.

"The point is, we need the Kyuubi. We need its powers to save ourselves, so we can become more powerful than ever before, and yes, take over the world. But before that, we need-"

Neji suddenly broke off as his Byakugan snapped and stumbled backwards, holding onto his eyes in pain. "We have to get out of here," he croaked out, eyes watering but back to their original pale blue color. "He looked right at me, he saw me-"

"Slow down, Neji!" Sasuke caught the almost delirious youth, alarmed by the abrupt change in his usually calm demeanor. "What's wrong?"

"The leader turned and looked right at me," Neji gasped, grabbing onto Sasuke's collar. "I think he saw me watching them!"

"The aura's starting to form," Naruto called out in a panic infused voice. "Now would be a really good time to start running!"

"I agree." Neji tried to stand, but he was so spent from using his power that his legs wouldn't hold him, and panic trampled across his face. "Sasuke!"

Then Sasuke saw it; even to his eyes, which were not so perceptive as those belonging to the Hyuugas, it was a monstrous cloud of dark energy, and a lump of solid fear formed in his throat. "Oh, God, I see it!"

He started backing away in shock, then the cloud abruptly thickened and Sasuke turned and ran, dragging Neji behind him on unsteady legs. Naruto kept pace with them, and they ran as fast as they could with no destination in mind, only seeking to outrun the black cloud with evil intent. They ran until the shack had faded from sight and the aura no longer encroached upon them, then they slowed and stopped, gasping for breath.

"What did they say?" Neji asked, unsteadily supporting himself on his own two feet.

Sasuke frowned. "You were the one who said it in the first place."

But Neji shook his head. "When I'm transmitting like that, I become a simple radio, and I can't hear what I'm saying. You have to tell me what they were talking about."

"Well," Sasuke said slowly, "They want to steal something, and it's what gives the ghosts here in Konoha their longevity. They want it to increase their own lifespans."

"What was it that they were looking for?"

Sasuke racked his brains, but couldn't remember what the man had said. It was right before Neji had snapped out of his trance, and right after he had mentioned Orochimaru, and his brain was so occupied on both accounts that he couldn't come up with it.

"Kyuubi," Naruto supplied suddenly. "They're looking for the Kyuubi."

Both humans looked at the phantom, who had the most serious look Sasuke had ever seen him wear on his face.

"Do you know what that is?" Sasuke asked, hoping he would, but those hopes were dashed when Naruto shook his head.

"No, I've never heard of it, but whatever it is, it must be very powerful."

Sasuke considered this for a moment, faced with a hard decision. Finally, he sighed and turned to Neji. "You can't tell anyone what we learned today."

"Why not?" A frown creased the skin between Neji's eyes. "It would be best to go at this with all the backup we can possibly have."

"Not these people," Sasuke disagreed. "I know; I've spent the better part of a month with them. They'll try to help and just end up getting in the way. We need to keep this as quiet as possible until we can get more information and form some kind of plan."

"I agree," Naruto chimed in, surprising both of them. "The other phantoms are too busy worrying about Lee; adding something else to worry about would be cruel. The Akatsuki have to be stopped. If they aren't, all the older ghosts here will fade when this Kyuubi is taken from Konoha. It would be better to wait to tell the others until we figure out what course of action we need to take."

Neji stared at Naruto in astonishment. "I do believe that's the longest and most intelligent thing I've heard you say."

"You don't have to be so surprised," Naruto muttered with a self conscious flush.

"Let's just head back to the Hokage," Sasuke suggested to diffuse the tension.

Neji seemed relieved by the suggestion. "Good idea. That took a lot out of me; I don't know if I would be able to do anything else today."

When Naruto nodded in conjecture with the idea, Sasuke started walking again. Noting that Neji was walking quite a bit slower than he had earlier and with much greater strain on his face, Sasuke slowed his pace to match that of the other boy, and Neji shot him a look of gratitude. His pride wouldn't allow him to admit it to Sasuke, but he was exhausted. Using the powers of their eyes to that magnitude had that effect on members of both the Uchiha and the Hyuuga families.

Upon entering the Hokage, Sasuke hoped to be able to steal upstairs to talk privately with Neji about what they should do, but an altogether too familiar ball of pink energy assaulted him.

"Sasuke! Where've you been?"

"Just out gathering a little information," he answered vaguely, trying to bypass the hyper girl, but she grabbed his arm, refusing to let him pass.

"Did you find out anything interesting?" Sakura asked in an interrogating manor as Ino also entered the room, looking expectant.

"Nothing of importance," Sasuke answered, though the words left a bad taste in his mouth. He didn't like having to lie to people who trusted him.

"In that case, are you free tonight?" Two sets of guileless eyes stared at Sasuke with hope and expectations.

Uncomfortable, Sasuke shifted from one foot to another. He needed to think about what to do about the Akatsuki, and he didn't have time to fool around, but he also couldn't afford to make the others suspicious. He needed them calm if he was going to find a way to get the Akatsuki to leave. With a sigh, he relented in his annoyance. "I guess."

"Excellent!" Sakura clasped her hands in excitement. "Then you can come with us!"

"Come where?" Sasuke asked, suspicion in his voice.

"Every Friday, one of the local restaurants has a cabaret style karaoke night, and once a month, those of us who work for Kakashi get to do it. He's friends with the guy who owns the place, so it's a god deal for both of them; the restaurant gets business, and the Hokage gets free publicity," Sakura explained.

Jumping in, Ino exclaimed, "And you can come hear us sing! Won't that be wonderful?"

"Sure," Sasuke agreed absentmindedly, not really paying attention to them. Singing, meh. Akatsuki? Big problem.

Suddenly, Ino's eyes got as round as saucers. "I just got the most brilliant idea! Sakura, we can make him-" And here she leaned forward and whispered in Sakura's ear, and an identical wide eyed look spread across the pink haired girl's face.

"Yes! Ino, you are a genius!"

Not wanting to be roped into whatever they were planning, Sasuke tried to escape a second time, edging past the giggling girls. "I have some things I need to talk over with Neji, so if you'll excuse me…"

"Yeah, fine," Sakura called out, waving a hand in Sasuke's general direction before resuming her conversation with Ino.

Glad of the reprieve, Sasuke grabbed Neji's arm and pulled him bodily up the stairs. Naruto floated after them, and after they had made it safely to the second floor, he broke into a chuckle.

"Going up against draugrs is no problem for you, but a pair of giggling girls leaves you defenseless and running. Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

"That's right, laugh it up," Sasuke said with a glare, his insides all twisted up. The mention of Orochimaru was still on his mind, and he couldn't shake the sick feeling that had sunk down low in his stomach. "They can't see you, so you're safe from their conniving plans."

"Lucky for me, right?" Naruto grinned cheekily at Sasuke, but there was something in his eyes that said he knew something was wrong, that he was just trying to lighten the mood. Sasuke wondered how often it had been there, and he had simply missed it.

As if reading the signs both of them were giving off, Neji cleared his throat. "I'm not really comfortable in this, so I'm going back to my room to change, if that's okay."

"Yeah, go for it," Sasuke muttered. "We need to talk, though, so come to my room after."

"I will do that." With a final inclination of his head, Neji took his leave and stepped into the room he had claimed, firmly shutting the door after him.

As soon as the barrier had been placed between the two parties, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and dragged him across the hallway to his own room. Rounding on Sasuke, he waved the door shut using his telekinesis and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I know there's something bothering you, something more than the Akatsuki, so don't bother denying it. You can't hide it from me, Sasuke, so just spill. What's wrong?"

With a sigh, Sasuke sank down on the chair next to the desk, letting his head slide into his waiting hands. "Orochimaru," he almost whispered, the word leaving a foul taste in his mouth.

"What?" Sasuke could hear the frown in Naruto's voice. "Orochimaru? Who's that? I remember the Akatsuki mentioning him, but what is he to you?"

"He is - was - a member of an Akatsuki group."

"Was?" Naruto swiftly floated over to Sasuke and grasped his chin, forcing him to look straight into Naruto's eyes. "What do you mean, was?"

"Orochimaru went mad, and left his group, I guess," Sasuke answered, sickened by the black memories flooding his consciousness. "I don't know much, but I do know that he was trying to find a way to become alive again, to become human, and he was hurting people while doing it. It caught the attention of the Uchiha clan, and they sent one of their best young recruits to deal with him, not knowing exactly what he was to face. He wasn't prepared, and…" Sasuke took in a deep, shaky breath. "And my brother was never the same again."

Naruto's mouth formed a small O as he realized what Sasuke was trying to say. "So Orochimaru was the one who drove your brother mad...?"

"Yeah." A thick, perverse laughter bubbled up from within Sasuke. "I've spent the better part of a decade running from the memories of that night, and here it is again, mocking me. I suppose I'll never be entirely rid of it."

A small, comforting hand settled in Sasuke hair, gently following the pattern of the strands. Hesitantly, Naruto asked, "Do you think you would feel better if you told me about it?"

Sasuke snorted. "I don't know. Maybe."

The hand traveled down to his back to rub soothing circles against the material of his shirt, and Sasuke relaxed into the contact. "Then…" Naruto asked, still a little hesitant. "Sasuke, what happened to your brother?"

Sasuke eyes closed involuntarily, and he allowed his head to fall forward. For a long moment, he didn't make a sound, just listened to the harshness of his own breathing. Sasuke was a very private person, and didn't relish the thought of retelling his darkest moments to a captive audience. But this was Naruto, who cared for him and was even now offering him the chance to make peace with his past.

Finally, Sasuke spoke. "His name was Itachi."

If Naruto noticed that Sasuke had spoken in the past tense, he made no sign of it, but gave him a comforting kiss on the temple.

Bolder now that he had started, Sasuke foraged ahead. "I told you before that he's blind now, and in a psychiatric ward, but what I didn't tell you was that he blinded himself, unable to face spirits after what happened with Orochimaru. I also didn't tell you that he tried to blind me as well, and only turned the knife on himself when my father intervened and pulled me to safety."

"Jesus," Naruto whispered, eyes wide. "What happened to Orochimaru?"

"I don't know for sure, but I do know my father went looking for him. I doubt he's still in this plane of existence."

Shaking his head softly, Naruto admitted, "I know I said that was a fate no one deserves, but even I wouldn't deny someone a revenge for something as terrible as that."

"And now his name is haunting me again," Sasuke growled, his sorrow changing to anger in the blink of an eye, and he clenched his fists. "Damn that snake! Will my family ever be free of his shadow? Hasn't he done us enough damage?"

But Naruto pried Sasuke's fists apart and held his trembling fingers in his steady ones. "Peace, Sasuke. He's gone, and while he might have hurt your family in the past, it won't happen again."

Wondering at Naruto, Sasuke shook his head slowly. "How do you always know what to do to make me feel better? You act so foolish all the time, and then when it matters, you always find the right thing to say."

Naruto gave a soft laugh. "I'm not as naive as people would guess from my actions; you of all people should understand that. You used to hate my foolishness, but you've grown to admire it, I think."

"You've rubbed off on me a little," Sasuke admitted, sifting through the strands of Naruto's hair gently. "You taught me how to smile again, to laugh when there was nothing really to laugh at. I'd forgotten how to make my own happiness."

"And I'd forgotten how it felt to take something seriously." Craning his neck, Naruto looked up at Sasuke. "I've been living like this for a long time, and I had reverted to this childlike version of myself that had little regard for others. You reminded me how to watch other people and care for them, and for that, I thank you."

A wave of warmth washed over Sasuke; he had no idea that he had done so much for Naruto, and the idea touched him. "I guess we're good for each other."

Leaning back carefully, so as not to dislodge Sasuke's hand from his hair, Naruto replied, "I guess we are. I'm glad I met you."

"As am I, Naruto. As am I."

A knock on the door pulled the pair out of the closeness caused by their emotional confessions, and Naruto floated off Sasuke's lap rather sheepishly.

"Come in," Sasuke called, and the door opened to allow Neji entrance.

"I hope I'm not interrupting something," he said with a frown.

"No," Sasuke answered a little guiltily. Quickly moving past the topic, he asked, "What do you think we should do now?"

"Honestly? Nothing."

The answer took Sasuke by surprise. "Why?"

"Did the Akatsuki say how long they'd been looking for this Kyuubi?" Neji asked, rubbing his jaw in thought.

"Three years," Naruto answered. "That's the same time frame when we first noticed them as well."

"Then there's no point in us rushing into this. If they've been searching for three years already, whatever they're looking for is obviously well hidden, so they aren't likely to miraculously stumble upon it in the next few days. From the few snatches of conversation that I caught, it seemed like they were frustrated, so it's highly likely that they aren't any closer to their goal then they were three years ago." After Neji finished outlining his thoughts, he passed a hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry; I'm starting to get a migraine from all that power I used."

"Get some rest," Sasuke said. "I'm grateful for what you did for me, and you've earned it."

"So we've settled on a plan, then? No further action until we find out more?"

With a sigh, Sasuke stood up from his chair. "It's as good a plan as any. Come downstairs with me," he added, opening to door and beckoning to Neji. "Sakura or Ino might be able to get you some medicine for your headache."

A look of gratitude swept over Neji's face. "Thank you."

They descended the stairs again, where they found Sakura and Ino in the exact places they had been in when Sasuke and Neji had first ascended to the second floor. Catching sight of Sasuke, Sakura stood up and waved him over enthusiastically.

"Sasuke! Come here!"

"Sure," he answered a little apprehensively. "But first, is there any Tylenol or something around here? Neji's got a headache."

Ino immediately popped up from her seat. "I'll go grab some. And don't you go telling him before I get back," she added to Sakura, wagging a warning finger at her,

Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend. "Get back quickly then!"

But it was unlikely that Ino heard, since she had already dashed out of sight. It only took a few seconds for her to come racing back, a bottle in her hand.

"Here." Ino shoved the bottle at Neji, who took it suspiciously.

"What's this?"

"You've seriously never taken Tylenol before?"

Drawing himself up proudly, Neji proclaimed, "The Hyuuga do not heal their ailments with such plain remedies as these."

"Whatever." Ino reclaimed the bottle from Neji. Opening it, she took out two pills and tossed them to him, who caught them with surprise. "Down the hatch."

Neji gave the pills one last suspicious look, then popped them in his mouth and dry swallowed. A look of revulsion crept over his features. "That was nasty!"

"You'll be glad you did it in about half an hour," Ino quipped, stowing the bottle in her pocket.

"Now that that's over, do you want to hear our idea?" Sakura asked excitedly.

"Fine," Sasuke sighed.

"It'll be a doozy, whatever it is," remarked an amused Naruto.

"You're going to sing with us," Sakura announced.

Neji's eyes grew wide, and he immediately started backing up. "I think that is my cue to leave. Have fun, Sasuke…" And with that, he turned and dashed up the stairs.

"Party pooper," Ino muttered under her breath, but Sasuke was thinking more along the lines of traitor.

Unaffected by Neji's quick retreat, Sakura grabbed unit Sasuke's harm. "So, how 'bout it, Sasuke? You wanna come sing with us?"

"Absolutely not."

The abrupt refusal did not deter either of the girls.

"Oh, come on," Sakura begged. "Just one song? The rest of us will do one!"

"The rest of you are also gainfully employed by Kakashi," Sasuke pointed out. "I am a guest in this inn."

Ino laughed this off. "But you're one of us now! You belong here, same as the rest of us, and that gives us free reign to torture you a bit."

Sasuke had to stifle his ego at the flattery; it was, after all, the first time he had really been included in a group of people with a sense of belonging. "I still am under no obligation to-"

"Sasuke!" Sakura interrupted, pulling out her phone. "Do I have to blackmail you? I still have video evidence, remember."

"Of something I could easily pass off as a joke," Sasuke scoffed. "You'll have to try harder than that."

"I'll bake you a cake," Ino offered.

Sasuke quickly shot that down. "Don't like sweet things."

"Right, tomato boy." Ino made a face. "A salad?"

"Not happening."

From next to him, Naruto spoke up. "What do they want you to sing?"

"But-"

"Ask them!"

Giving in, Sasuke turned to the girls and asked, "What is it that you want me to sing?"

The two girls exchanged a conspiratorial glance, then Sakura held out her phone, and Sasuke read the title of the song displayed on the karaoke app.

His reaction was immediate. "No. Absolutely not!"

Spectral laughter echoes in Sasuke's ears. "That's perfect! You have to do it!"

"It's a girl's song," Sasuke retorted. "Even if I wanted to sing it, I couldn't; it's not in a key for a man's voice."

"There's two keys, one for girls and one for guys," Sakura pointed out.

Ino clapped her hands excitedly. "Then there's no excuse; you have to sing it!"

"Why?" Sasuke asked angrily. "What would compel you to pick out that specific song?"

"Well…" Sakura smirked a little. "We thought it would be funny, since… you know…"

"Are you making fun of my sexuality?"Sasuke asked, fixing the two girls with a fierce, piercing glare.

"Of course not!" Sakura placed a hand over her heart in an exaggerated facade of offense. "We're only using it as a gesture of comic relief, in an effort to distract us from traumatic events of yesterday and this morning! It's not every day that you gain absolute proof of the existence of ghosts and then watch an all out battle between forces you can't even see!" By the time she finished, her eyes were shining with the passion of her words.

Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke asked, "So you're using me?"

The girls gave each other a look, then nodded. "Yep, sounds about right."

"Jesus," Sasuke swore softly under his breath.

Naruto fracked up with an evil sounding cackle. "This is perfect!"

Rounding in him, Sasuke snapped, "You stay out of this!"

"See!" Ino pounced on his reaction. "Even your undead fan club wants you to do it!"

"We prefer the term 'spiritual fan club', actually," Naruto quipped.

"You're not helping things," Sasuke hissed to the troublesome ghost.

"He's totally helping - just not you!" Sakura giggled at her own joke. "Naruto- that's Naruto, right?" At Sasuke's affirmation, she continued. "Naruto, do you think you could convince him to sing for us?"

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke spat, "No."

But, at the same time, Naruto grinned slyly and made a motion with his bracelet. "Yes."

Sasuke turned angrily to the ghost. "No, you can't!"

"Yes, I can!" Naruto retorted, drawing himself up so he stood nose to nose with Sasuke, even though he had to float several inches off the floor to do so.

A giggle caught both boys' attention.

"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized, a hand coming yo to cover her mouth to keep in the laughter, while Ino completely dropped all pretense of hiding her mirth, leaning over and grabbing her knees to keep from falling on the ground. "It's just so funny to watch you argue with the air!"

"Hey! I'm not air!" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, offended.

"He's mad now," Sasuke remarked dryly.

"Oh, Naruto! Please don't be mad!" Sakura begged, still trying to hide her laughter.

"Hmph." Naruto leaned against Sasuke, sticking out his lower lip. "Aren't you going to defend me, Sasuke?"

"Defend yourself," Sasuke snorted at Naruto while trying to made him move, but the ghost just clung to his arm more tightly, like a leech.

"But I can't," Naruto whined with a pout, throwing his arms about Sasuke neck. "I can't argue with them if the can't see or hear me!"

"Well, I'm not going to be your mediator," Sasuke announced, glad that the attention had been diverted from him.

Suddenly, Naruto narrowed his eyes and pinched Sasuke's cheek. "Hey! Were you trying to distract me? It won't work - I still want you to sing."

 _Damn_. "Not happening."

Undeterred, Naruto reached up and twirled a strand of Sasuke hair around his finger slyly. "Surely a big, strong man like you could handle singing one little song?"

"Passive-aggressive flattery will get you nowhere." Sasuke raised a single eyebrow, unamused.

Sticking out his lower lip in a pout, Naruto switched tactics. "So you can't sing it? God, Sasuke. I thought you were better than that!"

"Insults won't help your case either." Finally succeeding in shaking Naruto off, Sasuke rounded on him. "Will you just cut it out? They're staring at us!"

True enough, both Sakura and Ino were regarding the pair, on invisible to their eyes, with amusement. Shaking her head, Sakura reached a hand out to Sasuke. "No luck?"

"Not even close." Sasuke crossed his arms and ignored the hand. "Just leave me alone!"

Abruptly, Kakashi walked into the room, causing all conversation to cease. He looked like he was dressed for whatever was happening later, decked out in a slick eighties costume, complete with teased hair, which looked ridiculous with his mask. Honestly, the whole effect was rather sickening, but Sasuke was just glad he hadn't gone with the seventies. Disco Kakashi was something he could go his whole life without seeing and be happy.

Without bothering to explain his bizarre appearance, Kakashi walked over to Sasuke and clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to almost knock him to the ground. "Hey, Sasuke! I hear you're going to be joining us in our open mic cabaret tonight. That's great! I can't wait to hear you sing! Well, I'm off to finish the last check of everything. See you later!" And after that pronouncement, Kakashi retreated in as much of a whirlwind as he had come, leaving the two girls victorious and Sasuke slightly shocked.

Sakura rounded on Sasuke triumphantly. "Hear that? Kakashi's looking forward to listening to you! Now you have to perform!"

"I noticed," Sasuke said dryly, shaking his head in equal parts fear and admiration of the old man.

All in all, he was surprised by how calmly he was taking being shoved into the limelight. For all his protesting of the idea of performing, now that it was decided that he was, Sasuke found himself relieved. He was glad that the relentless attacks of the girls were over, and even found himself looking forward to sing in, something he hadn't had the occasion to do in a long time, though that may have just been caused by Naruto's delighted smile.

A smirk decorated Sasuke's face as plans for that night started to percolate in his brain. Sakura and Ino, the ones who had put him in this situation, may be only expecting some comic relief and amusement, but tonight, Sasuke was going to give them the show of their lives.


	17. Strip Chess

Make that three pieces.

* * *

When Neji returned to his room, Shikamaru was again sitting comfortably in the center of the floor, as he had earlier that day when he first asked Neji to play a game with him, but this time, a chessboard was spread out in front of him.

"I'll offer again: would you care to play a game with me?"

This time, something was different about Neji, and something in his eyes told Shikamaru that he was actually considering the offer. It must have been Sasuke; the boy had picked up in his tactics during their game, Shikamaru could tell, and had probably warned Neji of what was to come. Either way, it didn't matter to Shikamaru; it actually made the game easier for him.

"Alright," Neji finally agreed, moving forward to stand in front of the chessboard and look down on the heavy lidded ghost, who ignored the leap in his throat. He couldn't get ahead of himself; getting Neji to play was the game before the game, and he hadn't won until the first move had been made.

"Excellent. Your move." Acting bored even though he was anything but, Shikamaru gestured to the chessboard, showing Neji that, indeed, the white piece were arrayed in front of the open spot.

"White? You chose to play with black?"

Shikamaru shrugged, moving his shoulders as little as possible. "I like black. It makes me feel like a tactician." _And it makes it easier to manipulate people like you._

"You? The lazy genius?" Neji scoffed at the idea. "You'd never make it in a real fight."

"That's what you think." Shikamaru yawned delicately, shooting the well put together youth a look under his heavy lidded gaze. "A tactician doesn't have to move his body to fight; he only needs his mind."

"That's lazy."

"I am lazy." Shikamaru shrugged. "Are you going to play, or not?"

Neji regarded him with an indecipherable expression for a moment, then sat down on the other side of the chessboard. A feeling of triumph at the winning of his pre-game rushed through Shikamaru, though he didn't show it. Chess was his element; as soon as someone sat down opposite him, they had as good as lost. It was gaining that loss that was the fun part.

With a sharp click, Neji selected a pawn and moved it forward two spaces. A nod, unseen by the uptight boy, was given in approval by Shikamaru. It was a good move - bold, but not too aggressive - but not quite good enough.

Moving his own pawn with his mind, Shikamaru placed it directly in front and one over from Neji's pawn, in an obvious place to be captured. Neji's eyes immediately narrowed, and Shikamaru could practically see the gears in his head moving as he considered the implications of the move. Staring back with his face completely blank, Shikamaru gave nothing away, even as a smirk threatened to break through. It was so much fun to mess with people who were fixated on their own intelligence.

With a hard expression, Neji picked up his piece and captured Shikamaru's pawn. And just like that, the game was already won.

"Take off your tie," Shikamaru instructed in a bored tone.

"What?" Anger creased the skin between Neji's eyebrows, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why?"

"It's the rules."

"Rules?" Confusion took over the anger in Neji's face. "What game are you playing?"

"Chess."

"I can see that," Neji snapped. "What kind of chess?"

Shikamaru struggled to keep his facial expression innocent as he responded. "Strip chess."

"Strip chess?" Neji's jaw dropped. "What kind of chess game is that?"

"Haven't you ever played strip poker?"

"Of course not!" A red flush started to creep across Neji's cheeks.

This time, the smirk did slightly break out across Shikamaru's face. Clearly, this was making Neji uncomfortable, and the deepest and most interesting parts of one's psyche were bared at such a time. "But you have heard of it?"

The flush of Neji's cheeks deepened. "O- of course I have!" Neji stuttered. "I- I'm not completely cut off from society, you know!"

"No, not completely," Shikamaru agreed halfheartedly. "Well, strip chess is much like strip poker, except you're playing chess and not poker. Every time you capture a piece, you have to take off an article of clothing, but your opponent specifies which one."

A slightly shell shocked expression took over Neji's face. "You're joking. There's no way that's a real thing!"

"Of course it's not. I made it up."

"Wha-!" Neji spluttered indignantly. "I don't have to sit through this! Finish your game yourself!" Standing up, he marched angrily to the door and tried to open it, but Shikamaru held out a hand and kept the door firmly closed.

"Don't leave," he said, allowing a trace of cold malice to infiltrate his tone. "You cannot leave while the game is unfinished."

Twirling around angrily to confront Shikamaru, Neji yelled, "I don't want to play your twisted game! Let me out!"

Standing up himself, Shikamaru allowed a menacing aura to radiate from his body. "The game is yet unfinished. Once a game has been started, it must be completed; those are the rules." Neji made to speak, but Shikamaru cut him off. "And you always follow the rules. Don't you?"

A scowl crossed Neji's face, signaling that Shikamaru had said the right thing. He was good at pushing people's buttons, and Neji was one of the smartest people he had the pleasure of button pushing. The thrill of it left him almost breathless.

The internal struggle was evident of Neji's face and morals fought against one another, honor against propriety. An invisible smirk of triumph crept across Shikamaru's mind as honor won out over propriety and Neji returned to his seat and, scowling, removed his tie and cast it away. It land suggestively on the bed, draping across the pillow. Shikamaru followed its path with his eyes until it lay at rest, then his gaze flickered back to Neji, watching him self consciously tuck his collar back down to where it was supposed to be.

"That's not going to be worth much," he observed lazily.

"Why not?" Neji asked hotly, trying to mask his insecurity with self-righteousness.

This time, Shikamaru allowed his smirk to show on his face. "Because that's the next thing to go."

Neji's jaw dropped, but he recovered by ignoring the jibe and presenting his nose to the air. "It's your move."

"That it is," Shikamaru murmured, flicking a single finger to telepathically move a piece. "And now it's not."

"Hmph." Snorting angrily, Neji moved another pawn forward, setting it down with a sharp click. They went back and forth for a little while, neither wanting to make another major move, but Shikamaru was simply biding his time.

When the board was set to Shikamaru's liking and he was sure that he had a handle on Neji's playing strategy, he leaned back with a smile and telepathically moved a knight forward to capture Neji's bishop. Placing his hands behind his head, Shikamaru watched his opponent's reaction through lidded eyes. "Your call, Hyuuga. What am I taking off?"

Neji's face immediately froze in horror as he realized the implications of the game, obviously never having considered that Shikamaru would have to strip as well. Stripping himself would be an extreme difficulty, but instructing someone else to strip would nearly cause Neji's head to implode, which was why Shikamaru had specifically designed the rules that way.

After he had gotten over his brief fit of horrified fancy, Neji managed to croak, "Sock."

"Sock?" Shukimarushiki raised an eyebrow haughtily. "You could choose any article of clothing on my body, and you choose my sock?"

"Well, I… I…" Neji spluttered indignantly. "Just take it off!"

A seductive smirk made its appearance of Shikamaru's lips. "Of course. Anything you say."

Neji appeared to not like what he was insinuating, but let it pass in favor of letting go of the argument, instead watching silently as Shikamaru removed his sock and dropped it. The offending scrap of cloth disappeared into nothingness as soon it left the ghost's hand, and Neji jumped slightly at its sudden disappearance, but soon recovered and slid his other bishop diagonally a few spaces.

By now, Shikamaru had learned enough of Neji's strategy to know that this was a move without purpose, one absentmindedly taken to fill up a turn. A small frown tugged at his lips at that realization; if that was how the Hyuuga was going to play, it wasn't going to be much fun. To raise the stakes a little, Shikamaru used the same knight as before to capture Neji's rook.

Neji's face almost went a delicate shade of puce at this, but he kept his temper in check and cleared his throat before managing, "Your other sock."

"Really?" Shikamaru arched a delicate eyebrow. "Well, if you insist…" And the second sock was gone as fast as the first.

Neji made another absentminded move, and suddenly another realization hit Shikamaru: Neji was purposefully playing badly to end the game without him taking off most his clothes! That wouldn't do, but it was easily rectified.

Before taking his next turn, Shikamaru announced, "Oh, I forgot to mention this earlier. If you lose, you have to strip down to your underwear."

At this, Neji's face bypassed puce and turned a deep shade of magenta. "What?!" He spluttered. "How could you forget such an important rule?"

Shikamaru brushed it off with a shrug. "I'm lazy." Before Neji could answer, he slid a piece forward with his mind. "Oh, and check."

Horror overtook Neji's face as he beheld the setup on the board. The only way to avoid losing was to capture the piece threatening his King, and to do that, he would have to lose another piece of clothing, but it was still better than having to strip entirely. Would he do it? Shikamaru held his breath in anticipation.

Slowly, Neji reached for his King and rested a finger atop it, and Shikamaru though he was going to fold, to give up and strip in order to get it over faster. But then he moved his finger to the knight next to his King, and moved it forward, capturing the opposing piece.

Shikamaru grinned inside. He always liked it when people played into his hands. "Shirt."

Muttering something under his breath that might have been a curse, Neji stood and untucked his shirt, practiced fingers moving along the line of buttons to reveal creamy skin. A grunt and a heave, and the shirt flew over to crumple on the floor, and Shikamaru had to remind himself not to get distracted by the chest now on display.

With a smug expression of triumph on his face, Neji sat back down, looking as if he thought he had won some small part of the battle. "Your move."

 _You haven't seen anything yet_.

But Shikamaru didn't say anything out loud, instead moving his queen up to capture Neji's knight. "Check."

This time, Neji moved his King out of check before Shikamaru had a chance to ask him what he was to take off. Raising an eyebrow, he asked in a dead tone, "Strip chess?"

Neji jumped self consciously, then wordlessly pointed at Shikamaru's shirt, unable to bring himself to say it aloud. Without even bothering to move his arms this time, Shikamaru willed his shirt to be gone, and he, too, was left shirtless.

He moved another piece forward, but didn't take anything this time. "Check."

Panic was starting to show on Neji's face as he realized that he was absolutely outclassed, at least on the chessboard. Hastily, he shoved a sacrificial piece in the way, not even comprehending that it was his queen, which Shikamaru took without hesitation. "Check."

The look on Neji's face was getting more panicked as he realized that Shikamaru was running out of clothes. To give him a momentary reprieve, Shikamaru remarked wearily, "I'm wearing a belt."

A look of relief drifted across Neji's face. "Take off that, then."

Well, well. So he could actually say it without stuttering now. Interesting. Shikamaru didn't let his gloating smirk show, though, instead taking off his belt with telekinesis and dismissing it. In truth, he had conjured it up after the game had started, having planned this out to the move and figured he would need another piece of clothing to take off.

Neji took another turn, a better move now that he was thinking more clearly. However, in his case it was too little, too late, and Shikamaru moved another piece forward. "Checkmate."

The move had blindsided Neji, that much was certain. He stood up, a shocked expression on his face, but Shikamaru glared at him.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

"I… lost…" Neji managed, his eyes glazing over.

"Not yet, you haven't." Shikamaru gestured to the chessboard. "The game is not won until the king is captured. Kindly return and take your move."

Still looking rather glazed, Neji sat down and moved a single piece forward in an empty move that held no strategy, and Shikamaru quickly captured his King, ending the game. Neji stood up again and pulled off his socks, not even having to be told to strip as his penalty. However, when he got to the button on his dress pants, he slowed down, and froze when Shikamaru stood as well and began to unbutton his own pants.

"What are you doing!?"

Shikamaru was careful to keep his expression blank as he answered. "I made a capture, therefore I have to take something off. This is all I have left, so you didn't need to chose it for me."

Then he pushed his pants down around his ankles and stepped out of them, leaving them to melt away against the floorboard. Neji watched in almost horrified fascination, hands still frozen at the waist of his own pants, when Shikamaru gave him a challenging glare. His face heating up in an even heavier blush than the one that had been previously on his face, he accepted the challenge without even thinking about it, tearing off his pants before he had realized what he had done.

When his brain caught up to his hands, Neji stared in horror at the fabric laying on the floor, then looked up at Shikamaru. Their gazes locked, one cocky, one nervous, and Neji started to tremble as he averted his eyes and his sight was captured by something much more interesting: Shikamaru's body. The lazy genius could practically feel the heat of the other boy's gaze as it raked over him, and he allowed the corner of his mouth to curl up in a smirk.

"Like what you see?"

Neji's eyes widened in horror as he realized that he had been staring, and he immediately spun around, severing eye contact with Shikamaru, and pressed his hands over his eyes, panting heavily. Shikamaru cocked head to the side, considering his options. He didn't often become corporeal, but this may be a special cause.

Stepping lightly on the air, Shikamaru walked over the chessboard and stopped just behind Neji. With a palm soft from years of doing nothing except playing chess, he reached out and laid his hand on the small of Neji's back. The boy stiffened at the contact, something that gave Shikamaru enough insight into his mind that he understood a couple of things about the strange stoic boy.

"You're not used to physical contact, are you?" He surmised gently, and Neji's hunching silence told him he was right. "You don't know what you're missing," he almost purred, laying his second hand against Neji's back, tracing both of them up to lay on his shoulders. "But that's alright. We'll just have to show you how it feels…"

Neji's breathing increased in tempo as Shikamaru trailed his hands up his arms until they reached his hands, when he took them in his grasp.

"Like holding hands," Shikamaru whispered. When no rejection came, he pressed his bare chest directly up against Neji's back, eliciting a gasp from the boy. "Or more…" He whispered directly into Neji's ear, enjoying the harsh, ragged breaths he was drawing from the other boy.

"What… What are you doing?" Neji asked raggedly, dropping his hands from his eyes and trying to dislodge Shikamaru's soft grasp, but the ghost refused to let go. "Let go of me!" But the order lacked heart.

"Is that what you really want…?" Shikamaru murmured, turning his head slightly to trail his nose along Neji's pale cheek. "You're trembling, Neji."

Suddenly, Neji lost all of his will to fight and slumped slightly, letting his head loll to the side and presenting his pale neck to Shikamaru's calculating gaze. "That's the first time you called me by my name, Shikamaru…"

"I do believe it is." The murmur was pressed directly against Neji's pulse, the lips brushing the light barrier. "And the first time you called me by mine."

"So, I guess we're even, then," Neji managed between hash gasps as he breath rose in tempo again.

Even. One of the only things Shikamaru hated, because it meant he hadn't won.

"If you want to be." The drawl was louder than before, and Shikamaru saw Neji flinch at the sudden harshness. That flinch brought him back to his senses; without even realizing it, he had become drunk on the feel of Neji's body in his arms, the scent of Neji's musk mixing with his own, the-

No! This had to stop. Shikamaru was the puppet master, the one who worked from the shadows. He had no business taking a role in the show himself, and he had no business holding the strange pale boy in his arms now. Abruptly, Shikamaru released Neji, stepping back for the sole purpose of clearing his mind with distance, and conjured up the clothes he had been wearing earlier. Bereft of his crutch, Neji staggered for a moment, then turned sharply to glare at Shikamaru.

Glad of the distraction the glare provided, Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow at Neji and crossed his arms. "What are you looking at?"

"What was that for?" Neji sounded incredulous rather than inflamed, too surprised and off-kilter for the anger to have much bite.

"You asked me to let you go," Shikamaru reminded him with a tone that spoke of superiority. "I was only doing what you asked."

"You… You…"

Shikamaru supposed that he could be proud of the fact that he had made Neji Hyuuga speechless, but it was a hollow victory. During the game, he had learned something about himself as well as the insight he had gained about Neji, and Shikamaru didn't like to learn things about himself. It always made things more complicated.

With a flick of his finger, Shikamaru swiftly folded up the chessboard and placed it in a nearby case, the pieces floating in peacefully on top of it. "The game is over," he said pointedly. "You no longer have to serve your penalty, so please, reclothe yourself."

And with that one sentence, Neji's face went purple. With movements jerky from anger, he snatched his pants from the floor and pulled them on, glaring at Shikamaru all the while.

Shikamaru flicked his finger again, and the box levitated behind him. At the same time, the door opened slowly, creaking slightly, and Shikamaru started towards it. "It's been fun," he commented before turning towards it. "We should do it again sometime."

And then he left, floated right out the door and closed it telepathically behind him, leaving Neji staring, wordless, after him. With a sigh, he leaned against the wall of the hallway outside Neji's room, allowing his still corporeal head to bump against the hard obstacle and his box of chess pieces to settle to the floor.

Damn. Shikamaru hated learning things about himself, especially if those things destroyed his air of mystery. He thrived on mystery; if he couldn't be mysterious, even to himself, then what point did his not-life hold? An inherently lazy person, Shikamaru had pretended to give the question thought, but had never found a game to go along with answering it, so without that motivation, he had never really gotten around to figuring it out. Now, though, the answer was staring him in the face.

If he couldn't have mystery, then perhaps he could have Neji. Finally, he had found something that he was perhaps willing to forgo his life in the shadows for. Releasing a shaky breath, Shikamaru admitted to himself that he was attracted to the dark aura of the boy, to his secrets begging to be plundered and spread out for Shikamaru's viewing pleasure. He wanted to tear Neji apart, to pull him into the smallest fibers of his being and examine them, then put them all back together again to create the creature of perfection before him, just to prove that he knew everything there was to know about Neji.

Passing a hand over his eyes, Shikamaru pushed himself away from the wall and floated down the hall, dimly remembering to levitate his box of chess pieces after him.

Damn. This was troublesome.

Neji hadn't bothered to put on a shirt after Shikamaru had left. Instead, he stared at the closed door, half wishing that it would open again to reveal Shikamaru, who would ask him to play another game, or shrug off his shirt and press their chests together again, or even just hold his hand. Or, perhaps, ask to do more than just hold hands, as he had seemed to promise in that voice that sounded more seductive than that of a incubus, and more sinful than a box of Lindt chocolate…

But that wouldn't do. The physical contact, something Neji was unused to unless it came from immediate family, had just unnerved him, that was all, and it was causing him some inner turmoil. He was still the same calm, collected Hyuuga he was expected to be. And yet…

Casting one last long look at the door, which remained firmly and disappointedly closed, Neji crawled on top of his covers, not daring to go beneath them lest he disturb the tie that he had cast so uncaringly against the pillow not long ago. Closing his eyes, Neji tried not to think about the phantom and his strange game of chess. If it was a test, as Sasuke had said it would be, he had no idea whether he had passed or failed.

Almost unconsciously, he reached up and trailed a finger his cheek where Shikamaru's breath had fanned and his nose had traced delicate patterns on the skin, tricking himself into thinking that it really was the phantom when his dreams took over reality.


	18. Karaoke Cabaret

Several hours later, Sasuke had changed his clothes before leaving with the group, and was now wearing the white button down shirt from his one fancy outfit, but had left the uncomfortable starched pants behind, substituting them for a tighter pair of black jeans that hugged his butt and were easy to move in. He hadn't originally planned on packing the pants, but had thrown them in at the last minute when his mother had complained about him not having enough clothes. Now, though, he was glad he had, even though he felt a little exposed in them, because just the looks he was getting was enough to make his chest swell with pride. Sasuke was hot; he knew it, and everyone else did, too.

Ino and Sakura had both changed their clothes as well. Sakura had gone for the big hair - though it didn't quite work with her straight pink locks - of the eighties, coupled with an old fashioned prom dress that looked like it had come out of her mother's closet, mothballs and all. Ino had opted for a simpler, more casual, look, wearing cutoff denim shorts, a tank top with thick straps, and a denim jacket over it, and Sasuke had to admit that she looked quite the part of the teenage heroin in a high school drama movie set in the eighties.

When he was walking out the door, Sasuke felt something that felt suspiciously like a hand traveling cheekily across his firm backside, and he spun around to confront the culprit. Behind him, Naruto was standing there with his hands shoved into his pockets, the too-innocent expression of a child trying to divert attention from being caught with his hand in the cookie jar on his face.

"Want?" He asked, trying not to look too pleased with himself.

Well, two could play at that game. Letting a mysterious smirk decorate his face, Sasuke cocked his hip at a jaunty angle - no matter that it was a girly move - and raised an eyebrow at Naruto in what he hoped was a seductive manner. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sasuke caught one last look of the expression on Naruto's face, his jaw dropping, as he turned back around and started after the group a few paces ahead of him. The smirk on his face grew wider, enough so that Sakura noticed and asked about it.

"What's up, Sasuke?"

"Oh, nothing," he said, feeling extremely self satisfied, causing Sakura and Ino to clap him on the shoulders, one on either side, and Hinata to give a stuttering giggle.

Neji had allowed his cousin to attend the event with them on the grounds that Sasuke was her chaperone, but had refused to attend himself, instead retreating sullenly into his room. Sasuke couldn't find fault with that, though, since he and expended a lot of energy using his Byakugan. The least Sasuke could do in return was look after his cousin for the evening.

The building they were heading to wasn't far away, so it didn't take long for them them to get there. Sakura had told Sasuke that the event was popular, but he had no idea exactly how popular until he walked through the door and was presented with the veritable wall of people.

The building was a restaurant of sorts, but filled only with round tables that seated four people each. There were no larger tables or booths that Sasuke could see, only the round ones that were packed with people ordering food and waiters delivering it. He did notice on the far end that there was a small stage that had yet to set up, and Sasuke assumed that they would be performing in that space.

Sakura turned around and appeared to be trying to tell them something, but laughter, shouting and the clatter of dishes overpowered the sound of whatever she was trying to tell say, so both she and Ino tugged on his and Hinata's arms, bring them to a quieter area, back in another room whose walls were covered, surprisingly, in bookshelves. It was there that they found Choji messing with a tangle of wires attached to a stereo system that looked like it was at least ten years old, and Sasuke had to stifle a laugh at the ancient looking technology. When the group entered the room, Choji looked up, and his face brightened upon recognizing them.

"Sakura! There you are! You're late; I thought that we'd have to do this without you, and you're the one with the karaoke app!"

Sakura gave a disdainful sniff. "When have I ever missed one of these?"

"Never," Choji admitted. "But you're always late!"

Both Ino and Sakura broke into chuckles at that, and even Hinata gave a giggle.

"That's because she takes so long to get dressed!" Ino teased good naturedly, poking Sakura in the ribs, who rolled her eyes.

"You started an hour before me, and I was still waiting in the lobby for you for over ten minutes!"

Choji shook his head. "You always worry about your outfits too much."

"Of course we worry!" Ino placed her hands on her hips and mock glared at the heavyset boy. "This is a themed cabaret exhibition; it would be silly if we couldn't dress for the theme." Then she turned to Sasuke, appealing to him. "See, even Sasuke's dressed up!"

Raising his hands in the air in a gesture of innocence, Sasuke protested, "Hey, I only wore this so I wouldn't look like a complete fool when I get up there."

"You're singing too?" Choji's eyes lit up. "Thank god - everyone else is hyperactive girls, and I'm always the only boy who participates. Now I won't be alone in my misery!"

"I wouldn't count on that," Sasuke warned, jerking his head towards the innocent-faced girls. "Just wait and see what they want me to sing."

"Why?" A frown replaced the lighted joy in Choji's eyes. "What do they want you to sing?"

But Sakura stepped in before Sasuke could open his mouth, cutting him off. "We don't want to ruin the surprise, but it'll be good, I promise."

"Just know that you and I won't be the only ones performing something from Footloose tonight," Ino said slyly, sidling up to Choji.

"Oh yeah?" Sasuke perked up at that tidbit of information. "What are you two singing?"

" _Almost Paradise,_ " Choji said with much grandeur, making Ino giggle.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The love song?"

"Ino and Choji are are resident duo," Sakura explained. "They both can sing - like, actually sing, not just belt along with the radio - and at every one of these cabarets, they sing a duet. Just wait until you hear it; they're fantastic."

Choji blushed at the praise, but Ino just brushed it off. "Oh, we're not that good. We just know what we're doing. We picked _Almost Paradise_ because it has some fantastic harmony."

"I'm so jealous of all of you!"

The sound was so loud, everyone in the room had to look twice to be sure it was Hinata that had said it. The quiet girl blushed heavily under all the scrutiny, drawing back into herself as if she wished she hadn't spoken. But she had, and now Sakura was patting her shoulder gently, trying to get her to open up.

"Why? What's making you jealous?"

Hinata's cheeks were as red as a bottle of sriracha hot sauce, but she still answered in a quiet stutter. "I'm j-jealous because you're all go-going to go out th-there and sing, and it d-doesn't even b-bother you! I c-couldn't even say a s-sentence in front of so many people!"

"Oh, Hinata," Sakura clucked in a motherly tone. "We'll get you over your stage fright, don't worry. All it takes is a little bit of Konoha magic!"

"Really?" Hope practically glowed from Hinata's eyes.

"Sure. We have one of these every month, and I swear that before the summer's over, we'll have you up singing with the rest of us!"

Hinata visibly blanched at the thought, obviously not having seen where Sakura was going and not liking where they had ended up. She looked like she was about to give a stuttering protest, but Kakashi brought a whirlwind through the door again, throwing their lives into a brief chaos.

"Hello again! Glad you're here; we thought you were going to be late, Sakura!"

Throwing her hands into the air, Sakura asked of no one in particular, "Why am I the one who always gets blamed for being late?"

"Because you're always late," Kakashi interjected smoothly, then continued with his rundown. "Alright, show starts in fifteen, so Choji, start lugging those things out there. As soon as he's done, get out there and set the mic and the input from the phone up, Sakura, and please don't forget to plug them in this time."

"Why are you only picking on me? You gave the final check on that, and it was over a year ago anyways!"

"Because it's fun, Sakura." Kakashi's single eye twinkled as Sakura gave of groan of resignation. "Now, after that's done, everyone go sit down at the first few tables; they've been reserved for us again. Sakura, don't sit in the wrong section again." This time, Sakura rolled her eyes and refused to respond, leaving Kakashi to sigh, bereft of his amusement. "Back to business, I guess. Everyone else who's performing is already waiting in the wings, so set up as fast as possible, then just get out there and have some fun!"

The door slammed shut before Sasuke could even register that Kakashi had gone again, and he shook his head disbelievingly. "He's not always like that and I just haven't noticed, right?"

Giggling at him, Sakura picked up some mic stands and unceremoniously dumped them in Sasuke's arms. "No, he only gets excited like that during cabarets. Come on, help me schlup these."

She led him out the door, Ino following them with the tangled wires and Choji with the speakers. Slipping along close behind them, Hinata inquired, "Who else is performing?"

"Just some of the other people who work at the Hokage," Sakura said with an offhand wave, guiding the group to a small door that led directly onto the stage Sasuke had noticed earlier.

When the door was opened, Hinata leapt back with a squeak, not wanting to be seen by the people, so Sakura grabbed the wires from Ino's hands and pushed both her and Hinata down the hall, away from the door to the stage.

"Take her to the seats," she instructed. "We can do it ourselves."

Hinata threw Sakura a grateful look as Ino pulled her down the hall and around a corner, out of sight. When they were gone, Sakura grabbed Sasuke and hauled him onto the stage where Choji was already setting up the speakers.

Setting down his heavy burden, Sasuke tried to set up the mic stands while Sakura started plugging wires into the speaker, but only succeeded in getting confused and pinching his finger. With an annoyed look, Sakura dismissed him and grabbed the stands herself, putting them up with practiced ease. Feeling a little silly, Sasuke jumped off the edge of the stage and landed next to Ino and Hinata, who had just arrived through the crowd.

Pointing at a row of mostly empty seats, Ino said, "This is where we wait our turns. You can sit with us even though you're not performing, Hinata, because you're our special guest."

Hinata's cheeks, which had paled after her earlier blush, pinkened again. "Thanks."

All of a sudden, both Sasuke and Hinata were startled as Sakura jumped down next them. The pink haired girl laughed before moving over to give Choji room to slide down next to her. "Hurry and sit down; Kakashi's ready, and you don't want to be caught standing when he gets onstage."

Sasuke frowned, remembering the outfit Kakashi had been wearing, and was not entirely sure if he wanted to see what he had planned, but he sat down anyway, and just in time, too. Almost immediately after Sasuke had taken his seat, Kakashi jumped onto the stage from the door that led into the hallway, and grappled one of the microphones, making it screech painfully.

"Hello, everyone!" He shouted into the mic, sending static through the system and making everyone wince. Drawing back from the mic, Kakashi's apologized from a more reasonable distance. "Sorry 'bout that. You'd think I'd have figured out how to use this thing by now, but it still confounds me. Anyway, welcome to the ANBU's Friday night cabaret, hosted by members of the staff of the Hokage!"

ANBU? Sasuke perked up at that. He hadn't looked at the sign above the door of the restaurant, so this was the first time he had heard the name of the place. Hadn't Kakashi once mentioned it to him, telling him it was a cafe and bookshop? If so, it explained the room they had been in.

Suddenly, Naruto came up behind Sasuke and wrapped his arms around his neck, gently nuzzling his cheek. Relaxing into this hold, Sasuke murmured, "Where'd you disappear to?"

"Ran into an old friend," he remarked casually. "And that little Hyuuga girl gives me the creeps. She stares at me all the time, and I don't like it."

"She likes you," Sasuke muttered darkly, allowing a scowl to creep across his face.

Naruto poked Sasuke teasingly. "Aw, is someone jealous?"

"Maybe a little."

At the admission, Naruto darted in and kissed Sasuke cheek, and his frown could help but fly away. "You've got nothing to worry about. I'm staying right here."

Another screech from the mic diverted their attention back to Kakashi's speech. "And so, to start off tonight's performance, I would like to sing a song for you."

There was a collective, horrified gasp from the audience, and some of the people closer to the exit looked like they were planning a daring escape. Sasuke looked around, both amused and a little worried; was Kakashi really that bad of a singer?

With a sigh of defeat, Kakashi held up a hand. "I would _like_ to sing for you," he reiterated, "but unfortunately, I've been banned from singing in public by a few of my overzealous employees."

A sigh of relief was released then, so large it almost shook the room, and Sasuke caught Ino, Choji, and Sakura giving each other a three way high five, solving the mystery of who those 'overzealous employees' were.

"Well, you don't have to be so happy about it," Kakashi grouched, but audience just laughed at him.

"Get off the stage, Kakashi!" Drawled a man from the back of the room, presumably a local.

Glaring at the man, Kakashi gave a final sniff and introduced the first performer before leaving the stage with his nose in the air. When he jumped down off the stage to sit in the row with the others, he muttered to Sasuke as he passed, "Unrecognized talent, that's what I am."

Sasuke couldn't help but smile, especially when Naruto laughed in his ear. "Kakashi, you could beat a cat in a 'feline death impressions' contest!"

Kakashi jumped at the sound of the voice that didn't belong to anyone alive, and he leaned closer to Sasuke. "Who's here?"

" Naruto, and he's here with me," Sasuke answered, making it clear that he wouldn't allow Kakashi to try and eject Naruto from the premises.

But it appeared that there no need for the caution, since Kakashi just nodded slowly. "Just keep an eye on him, alright?"

"I'll try, but no promises," Sasuke said as Naruto, offended, stuck out his tongue silently at Kakashi so the man wouldn't hear. "He is his own person."

Looking only slightly reassured by that, Kakashi sat down in his spot, and Sasuke settled back to enjoy whatever the night had in store.

He didn't recognize the first girl who got up to sing, but that wasn't surprising, considering that he had made a point not to interact with any of the staff when he had first arrived, unless they were named Sakura and had forced their presence on him anyways. He hadn't even known that Choji and Tenten, who had been avoiding them since Sasuke's pronouncement, which he could tell was hurting the other teens, though they refused to let it show, had worked for Kakashi until they had showed up to work at the events of Konoha Spiritual Week.

The song was one he Sasuke didn't recognize either, something about love and heartbreak, but then again, all the songs from that time period were about love or heartbreak. Hell, that was true about the songs written now as well.

Throughout the first half of the karaoke, Sasuke ended up paying very little attention to the performers, instead putting his attention into Naruto's antics as the ghost reverted to a much younger age and plopped himself down in Sasuke's lap. The songs passed in a blur, overshadowed by Naruto's amusing commentary. The host was over a hundred years old, after all, and had been around when these songs had been popular on the radio, so he know lots of inside jokes he was only too glad to share with the enraptured Sasuke.

It was only during the second half of the cabaret that Sasuke started to actually pay attention to what was being sung up on the stage. The first performers, while not "bad" per say, were certainly not very good, and while Sasuke was no expert himself, growing up with money had the side effect of giving one a healthy appreciation of the more refined side of the arts.

But the second half of the performance was when they broke out the big guns. The first one Sasuke recognized was Sakura, and despite her earlier comment that Ino and Choji were their "resident singers," she was actually quite good. The song she was singing was one Sasuke didn't recognize, but Naruto said was from "The Breakfast Club," a popular movie from the eighties, and had been repopularized by a recent movie about an acapella group. Sasuke recalled the movie, but not its name or the song; he had not been much impressed with it for its musical inaccuracies, despite its commercial success.

Sasuke clapped loudly at the end of the song, almost dislodging Naruto from his perch on his lap, which the ghost was not pleased about but simply clung more tightly to Sasuke's collar without complaint to avoid being dumped on the floor. Winking slyly at Sasuke, Sakura took several extra bows before Ino came up beside her and gave her a shove.

"My turn," she said with a grin, cracking her fingers as the music started, then jumped up and landed with a smart heel click as she started to sing.

The song was peppy and dark at the same time, smoothly enticing, and Sasuke found himself jiving along with the beat in spite of himself. This was one he did recognize; it was a Heart song, and his mother was a big fan of Heart to this day. It wasn't one of their most famous songs, but it still caught people's attention, and Ino made it come alive with her stunning voice.

When she finished, Sasuke gave a sharp whistle in addition to his clapping, and so did most of the audience. It was clear that Ino was a crowd favorite, and the locals even knew her name, shouting it aloud. Ino took a bow, then spoke into the microphone.

"And you know what happens next! Choji, you gonna come up here with me?"

"Am I ever?" Choji shouted from the audience, jumping up and running to the side of the stage.

Ino reached a hand down for Choji, pulling him up on the stage next to her. Their hands lingered together for a little longer than necessary, and Sasuke saw something that he had missed before. Perhaps it was the setting, and perhaps it was the glow on Ino's face after finishing her own song, but they looked like they belonged together up on that stage. The light in Ino's eyes was kinder, and the ruddy glow of Choji's cheeks made him seem a little less heavy, and a little more light on his feet.

The music started without them saying anything else, and they stared into each other's eyes for a few more seconds as Ino handed Choji the microphone. Her fingers lingered against the skin of his hand, and, almost unconsciously, her bottom lip was sucked in between her teeth to be gently massaged between the peaks of white sharpness. She still watched him as he turned toward the audience, and, raising the microphone, began to sing.

The voice that came from the speakers was not the voice Sasuke had come to identify with Choji, a little hoarse and perpetually out of breath. Instead, it was smooth and silky, brightly piercing and yet pleasing to the ear. It absolutely took Sasuke's breath away, leaving him gasping for air in a room that suddenly seemed too stifled.

And then Ino stepped up beside him, holding another mic that Sasuke hadn't noticed before. Choji stepped aside to allow her to take center stage, and somehow, her voice grew richer than before, to match the tenor of the song and Choji's voice.

The song, this time, was very familiar to Sasuke. Almost Paradise, love theme from Footloose, was something he had listened to over and over his junior year in high school, and the music from that movie held a special place in his heart. Each word, each melting note, rang in his ears, anticipated and yet better than anticipated. It only proved true the belief Sasuke held that someone got the most out of a performance if they were intimately familiar with the material.

And then Choji joined her, and the two sang together in tight harmony, never wavering in their pitches. This song, Sasuke knew, required a high level of control in a very high register for the boy, and Choji was nailing it perfectly, with Ino floating on the top of his controlled sound for a perfect blend. The stepped closer and closer, close enough to reach out and touch each other, then close enough that if they leaned forward, their microphones would bump in an almost kiss.

Abruptly, they separated, and Ino sang by herself. The move surprised Sasuke, even though he knew it was coming, because the pair was staring into each other's eyes with such abandon, they looked like they were never going to look away. She stepped back, and Choji got his moment in the spotlight before she joined him and they sang together again.

This time when they drew closer, they didn't stop when their microphones touched. Choji placed his microphone back in the stand and grasped Ino's, and they sang together into the same microphone, at first turned toward the audience, then slowly shifting until they were looking directly into each other's eyes, completely ignoring the audience. Higher and higher, the music spiraled until it burst, sending waves of sound around the hall, then it drifted slower and slower towards its conclusion, lazily forming lyrics and phrases. At the last word, both Ino and Choji hesitated a little, then they sang together.

" _Paradise_."

The ending music trailed off as the audience held its breath, waiting, spellbound, to clap. Just as the last note was fading away, Choji, who looked like he was steeling himself for something, darted forward and gave Ino a quick kiss.

At that, the audience went wild, jumping to their feet as both teens looked equally shocked at Choji's daring. Ino looked completely stunned, reaching up to touch her lips with her free hand as Choji rescued the mic from her loosening grasp, and Choji didn't look much better, cheeks glowing as red as a beat and eyes slightly glazed. Since Sasuke was in the front row, he could see Choji's lips move as he asked Ino a question, but couldn't hear what he said due to the roar of the crowd. Still shellshocked, Ino gave a slight nod to whatever he had asked, and Choji's cheeks turned an even darker shade of red, if possible.

When the crowd had mostly quieted down and sat back in their seats, Choji brought up the microphone to address the audience. "So, it's time for my song now, and seeing as she hasn't hit me yet," the crowd laughed a little at that one, "I'm going to try something." Locking gazes with Ino, who turned almost the same color as his own cheeks, Choji asked, "Ino, would you mind staying up here when I sing?"

Ino didn't say anything, but she nodded a few times, and Choji took a deep breath as if to prepare himself.

Then the music started, and Sasuke looked up in surprise. Choji must have had a thing for eighties dance movies, because it was the opening chords to _She's Like the Wind,_ from "Dirty Dancing." Nervously fidgeting, Choji waited for the intro to end, but as soon as it did and he started singing, all the uncertainty and nervousness dropped away from him, and he was one with the song.

The song was a perfect fit for them, and the way Choji sang it made it come alive. It was a love song, yes, but it was a song of desperation, of hopeless longing, perfectly personifying the relationship between Ino and Choji. He, a heavyset youth with no traditional beauty and little self confidence, had no place to be caring for a girl like Ino, with her fashion and her looks and her perfect poise. And yet, he did, and he was baring it for all the world to see, right in that stage, with that song.

Sasuke knew the song well, and he knew all the key phrases to it, and noticed the slight winces in Ino's eyes as Choji sang them. _Just a fool to believe I have anything she needs,_ and _can't look in her eyes; she's out of my league_ each brought about their own minute tics, which told Sasuke that Ino cared for Choji, too, and didn't care that he thought he wasn't good enough for her; no, she was worried that she wouldn't be able to look past others thinking he wasn't good enough for her, and that would cause her to hurt him.

Near the end of the song, Choji grabbed Ino's hand and sank to the floor, kneeling in front of her on one knee and looking up into her shocked face. His composure cracked a bit, but he still finished the song, ending like that, staring up at her. The audience held its breath as the last notes of the song ended, but Choji kept the microphone to his face.

"Well, Ino," he said, almost instantly reverting to his more nervous persona as the music faded, "I went and sang to you in front of all of these people, so d-do you think you w-would w-want to go out w-with m-me?" The last part ended on a high pitched stutter, as if Choji was losing his confidence like a train running out of fuel.

Ino just stared at him for a few seconds, absolutely shocked, until a heckler from the back of the audience shouted, "Are you gonna give the boy an answer or not?"

That jumped her enough that she nearly left the stage, and her hand slipped out of Choji's. Looking disheartened but like he had been expecting it, Choji started to stand up, but was knocked back down by Ino jumping on him. He landed on his butt and Ino somehow managed to land in his lap and she hugged him tightly around the neck.

"Of course, you dummy!" Ino grabbed his collar, shaking him a little roughly. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to ask?"

Now it was Choji's turn for his eyes to widen in shock. "You- you're not joking?"

"Of course not!" Ino's hair was a little messy from her fall, but her eyes shone brightly.

Slowly, as if he couldn't believe this was really happening to him, a grin stole across Choji's face. Apparently deciding that the gambles he had already made had paid off, Choji made another and gently tugged on Ino's chin to pull her in for a kiss.

Wrapping her arms about Choji's neck, she returned the kiss with enthusiasm as the audience started the cheer. A few catcalls were issued by the more rowdy members of the crowd, but the only reaction either of them gave to the heckling was Ino sticking her middle finger up to the audience at large as she kept her lips firmly attached to Choji's.

It was while watching them that Sasuke was struck by an epiphany. People often think that love only happens to beautiful people, but it is love itself that it beautiful. Choji may not have been the most handsome of man, and Ino not the most understanding or intelligent of women, but together, they shone like a pair of bright, glittery paper stars on a backdrop that had suddenly been caught in the spotlight. Perhaps they weren't the biggest stars on the backdrop, or the glitteriest, but they caught the eye and refused to let go when illuminated in that spotlight of love. It just goes to show that, given the right circumstances, those who stay unnoticed in the background may be the ones who can shine most exuberantly.

Naruto had left Sasuke's lap and was standing next to him, no longer a child, but a man Sasuke's own age. As if feeling Sasuke's eyes on him, he glanced down at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Sasuke said, but his smile told otherwise, and he reached out to take Naruto's hand in the darkness between the seats. Naruto's gaze softened, and he twined their fingers together.

Alone, two people are almost worthless. It is our interactions that define us, that make us who we are and shape our worlds, and when our worlds collide, it produces the intimacy known as love. But neither Sasuke nor Naruto needed that said aloud to understand it.

It took Sakura jumping up onto the stage and forcibly ejecting Ino and Choji from their spotlight for them to break apart, but they didn't look like they cared. Grinning like idiots, they retook their seats, keeping their hands intertwined.

With a grin rivaling the size of the new couple's on her face, Sakura grabbed the mic. "Finally, am I right?"

The audience roared, and Ino and Choji turned an even darker shade of pink, but didn't let go of each other's hands.

When the audience quieted down, Sakura brought the mic back up to her face. "And that's how we would normally end it, folks, but tonight, we have something else for you, something special."

Sasuke felt his heart start to beat faster; now it was his turn, and he was starting to feel a familiar nervousness coil in the bottom of his stomach. He gripped the strap of his satchel, which he had thrown over his shoulder, like always, a little tighter.

"Usually this is something those of us who work at the Hokage do, but tonight, through means mostly fair but a little foul, we've managed to gain one extra performer. Sasuke, would you please join me up here?" Sakura extended a hand to Sasuke, and the audience quieted a little, not quite sure what Sakura was up to.

Choji leaned forward and slapped Sasuke on the back, propelling him out of his chair. "Go get 'em!"

The world began to blur a little before Sasuke as he asked himself if he was really going to do this. It had been several years, after all, and he hadn't prepared for it. But then he caught sight of Naruto, and his world snapped into sharp clarity. Yes, he could do this. There was no judgment in this place, only acceptance, and he felt something disappear from his heart, but it wasn't something he recognized or would miss.

The last thing he did before jumping up onto the stage was grab Naruto's arm and haul the ghost forward to whisper quickly in his ear. "Whatever happens up there, know I'm singing to you."

Then he released Naruto just as quickly as he'd grabbed him, and jumped up next to Sakura, who tried to pass him the mic and leave, but he caught her arm, preventing any hope of escape.

"Oh, no," he said, eyes glittering with an excitement that bordered on malice, and her own grew wide with fear. "You're not going anywhere. You want me to do this, you're going to have to give a little too."

Sakura made a choked sound as Sasuke expertly plucked the microphone out of her hands and turned to address the audience himself. "Hey, out there. As Sakura said, I'm Sasuke, and through means mostly foul, including attempted blackmail and bribery, a few of the craziest people I've ever met have managed to get me up on this stage."

"Thanks," Sakura quipped, leaning in so the mic caught the word. The audience laughed, especially when Sasuke shouldered her off to the side.

"Anyway, from the moment I learned the title of the song they intended me to sing, I knew they were in it with a single objective: they wanted me to make a fool of myself. And if I'm going down, I have to get in a little revenge of my own." Grinning, Sasuke held aloft the arm of the captured Sakura. "And so, she's going to stay up here with me."

At this, the audience roared again. Tonight was probably the liveliest show they'd ever gotten.

Getting into it, Sakura shouted, "Somebody better be videoing this!"

"Don't worry," Ino shouted back from the front row, camera held aloft. "I'm already recording!"

"Hm." A smirk crept across Sasuke's face. "Well, while I was brought up here for mere comedy - and a little bit of fair minded teasing, I'm sure - I decided that I could get a little revenge of my own. I was told by Ino and Sakura to sing _Let's Hear It for the Boy,_ from Footloose."

Laughter rang out through the room, but Sasuke held up his hand to quiet them. "They wanted me to sing it for a laugh, but what they didn't know is that I was a dancer in a production of Footloose, the musical, a few years back at my high school in Chicago, so I actually know what I'm doing."

Surprised laughter filled the room at that, and Sasuke took advantage of the moment to clip the mic back into the stand and set his satchel down, rescuing the needed prop, his blazer, from its confines. By the time the audience had calmed down again, he had shrugged on the jacket and pushed the satchel out of the way with his feet.

Glancing at Sakura, Sasuke found that her mouth was hanging open slightly from shock, and he smirked at her. "You wanted a shoe, Sakura. Next time, you should be more careful what you wish for, or it may come back to bite you again."

"What exactly am I doing up here?" Sakura asked, still a little shellshocked.

"You're my dance partner," Sasuke informed her with an even wider smirk.

Now it was panic that caused Sakura's eyes to widen. "You don't want me! I - I can't dance!"

"You won't need to," Sasuke assured her. "I'll do everything; you just have to follow me."

"Alright," Sakura said dubiously. "I'll try."

Shrugging his shoulders to make the blazer bang more comfortable, Sasuke asked, "Can you start the music for me?"

"Sure. That's easier than dancing, at least!"

With a nod to her, Sasuke turned back to the audience. "Well, then, enjoy or whatever! I haven't done this in a while, so no promises, but have fun watching!"

Then Sasuke stepped back from the mic, turning his back to the audience. When the music started, he started moving along to the beat, swaying his hips a little, then he snapped around just in time to catch the opening phrase.

He watched jaws drop in amazement at the first note, including Sakura's, who was right next to him. While Sasuke was certainly no professional, his had picked up some things from being in Footloose, so the sounds rolling out of him were almost as smooth as Choji's. But it was his dancing that really caught the eye.

The song had simple enough choreography to start, so Sasuke embellished it a little, flipping the collar of his blazer back as he swayed his hips and moved his shiny shoes along the surface of the stage, causing them to squeak in time to his movements. The first verse was mostly comprised of dancing that lended to acting, bringing the focus of the song to the attitude with which it was portrayed, and it was only when he got to the second verse that the moves got difficult.

It was hot in the room with so many people, and Sasuke felt himself start to sweat under his jacket, and the sensation reminded him of the time when he had performed in Footloose, sweating under the heavy costume and bright stage lights. Sasuke's father had insisted he take dance lessons for most his early life for a reason he didn't comprehend then and still didn't understand, but those lessons had stopped abruptly after Itachi's incarceration into the madhouse. It wasn't the only thing that had stopped, but Sasuke had found that it stung less than he had anticipated. Itachi was always the one who had gone to his recitals anyway, and he couldn't remember a single one where his father had willingly come and kept his phone off the whole time.

Still, those lessons had helped him in Footloose, and he became the male dance caption, always in the front and dancing with the female dance caption, though he couldn't remember her name now. It was funny how a single sour memory could ruin a whole experience. While the other theater students hadn't been exuberantly welcoming, they had been unconditionally accepting, and since they had been doing shows together for years, they were a tight knit family that he felt uncomfortable intruding on as a junior, but he had found happiness with them for a time. Sasuke's father didn't come to any of the performances, but that was fine with him; he wouldn't have appreciated it anyway.

Except Sasuke's father had surprised him by coming to the very last show, and it had been a disaster. He hadn't known what the show was about, and had been scandalized by the covert innuendos and what he had referred to as "raunchy, tasteless costuming designed to draw the eye of audience away from the terrible quality of the acting," even going so far as to march backstage during intermission and try to pull Sasuke from the show. Sasuke had refused, and his father had finally relented when Sasuke had made the argument that a show was a commitment that he had to see through, but only on the grounds that Sasuke never did another show again.

Sasuke could tell that the other actors felts sorry for him, but they still refused to meet his gaze for the rest of the year, and even though he normally kept to himself anyway, the rejection stung. Many times, he had wanted to tell them that it wasn't his fault, that he wanted to do more acting with them, but he hadn't, and it had slipped by for so long that Sasuke had eventually let it go. Those bad memories had overshadowed his good memories of the production, but now they were all coming back to him, the good and the bad, and Sasuke felt himself start to grin in spite of himself. He had forgotten how much fun performing was.

The dance break arrived with a spurt of loud sound, and Sasuke cast a look at Sakura with an eyebrow raised, silently asking, _You ready?_ The nod she sent back sent him into action, and the blur of movement that was his arms was the only warning she got before Sasuke grabbed her hands and spun her into a whirl. Surprised, Sakura stumbled into his arms, but he kept the pressure of his leading steady, and she soon got her feet under her and allowed him control of her movements. Sasuke was careful not to hold her too close, but when he glanced up, he still noticed the stark jealousy on Naruto's face, and he felt a little guilty. If Naruto was alive, Sasuke would have offered him the chance to dance with him, but since he was invisible, they couldn't dance together in front of this many people without arousing suspicion, which could lead to fear and danger for the ghost.

Sasuke let go of Sakura as soon as the dance break ended, going back to singing in front of the mic, a little out of breath from exertion. The move that went with the last part of the song was a simple box step, over and over, with hand motions that went with the song, and Sakura quickly picked up on it, dancing next to him with excited motions, the grin on her face at odds with the doubt she had possessed before the song. Performing was like that, Sasuke had found; once you started, you tended to forget what was on your mind.

The music started to crank up in volume and excitement as the ending drew near, and Sasuke reached further and further into himself for the energy that was slowly draining out of him. Even though he hadn't danced since Footloose, he had kept in good shape by all the exercises with ghosts he had been made to do by his father, but it had been a while since he had done something so strenuous, and it was taking its toll on his body. The pants and gasps were coming more harshly now, and Sasuke dug inside himself for the final push required for the finale.

Sasuke didn't bother singing the last part; it was far too high, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to make it anyway. Instead, he grabbed Sakura again, ignoring her surprised gasp, and abrupt dipped her to the last chord of the song. In the original choreography, he had had to lean down and give his partner a kiss - a stage kiss, but still a kiss, and now that Sakura knew he was gay, Sasuke wasn't comfortable doing even that. So he kept his face upwards and looked straight on front of him, expecting to see the audience, but his vision was blocked by Naruto's face, who had floated close without Sasuke noticing. Without warning, the ghost grabbed Sasuke's face with both of his hands and leaned forward, pressing their lips together.

No one in the audience would have noticed the action; not even Sakura, whose face was a mere foot from Sasuke's, caught the difference in Sasuke's face, the minute change in his expression. Sasuke forced himself to remain impassive, to let the sudden roar of the audience as the song ended roll over him without a fracture in his composure, but on the inside, he melted as Naruto pulled away and gave him a lingering smile. They had kissed before, but this was different, this was something more; he could feel it in his soul, and he smiled.

The roar of the audience got louder, thinking the smile was for them, and Sasuke leaned back and stood up straight, pulling Sakura after him. The pink haired girl gave him a hug which he barely registered, all his attention focused on the ghost floating a few feet away with a wide smile. Shaking himself back to reality, Sasuke jumped down from the stage and was engulfed by the people he had come to call friends. As they gathered around him and clapped him on the back, a warmth spread through Sasuke, making him forget the things that were weighing on his mind, the problems he had to solve.

Tomorrow, he would have to tell Kakashi about the Akatsuki. Tomorrow, he would have to make a plan to stop them before they figured out how to steal the Kyuubi, whatever it may be, and take away the hub of spiritual energy that gave the ghosts in Konoha their abnormally long lifespans. Tomorrow, he would have to deal with the fallout of his discovery, but now, with the brilliant laugh of Sakura and the quiet stutter of Hinata surrounding him, with the breathless nervousness of Ino and Choji as they looked at each other, with the harsh lights on his face and Naruto's simple smile warming him to the core, Sasuke felt not only a sense of belonging, but a sense of finally coming home.


	19. Confrontation

The group was all a cacophonous chatter as they headed back to the Hokage, and Sasuke found himself smacking the middle of it and loving every second of it. Remaining a silent rock in the middle of a rising tide, he allowed the waves of excited sound to crash over him like a calming, soothing wash of happiness. Still coming down from the high caused by his performance and in shock from the crowd's reaction to it, Sasuke saw, rather than felt, the energy rolling off his companions, tinged in multicolored hues of emotion.

Naruto floated along behind Sasuke as he allowed himself to be pulled along by the energy of his friends, close enough that he could reach forward and unobtrusively brush the backs of their hands together. None of the others noticed the bracelet floating in midair, or they if they did, they paid Naruto no mind, and Sasuke was suddenly glad that he had been able to give that to the ghost. He had been afraid of people finding out who he was and hating him, and now he could walk amongst them as equals, even if they couldn't see him.

"So, Sasuke," Sakura said from next to him, interrupting his thoughts and causing him to jump slightly. "Did you like singing with us? Did you have fun?"

Chuckling a little, Sasuke shook his head wonderingly. "More fun than I've had in a long time."

"Yes!" Sakura pumped a fist into the air. "Success! We have turned the once antisocial foreigner into a native of Konoha, complete with the outgoing personality and fun loving nature that gives us all our distinct shine!"

"I think you mean 'distinct powers of annoyability',"Sasuke remarked dryly with a smirk.

But Sakura just shrugged the insult off. "You know you love us anyway."

The problem was, Sakura was right.

"Hey, Sasuke," Ino called from where she was hanging onto Choji's arm. The two had been inseparable since they had left the stage, even though they had been mercilessly and good-heartedly teased for their PDA. "We always get a Cranberry Lime Seltzer in the kitchen after every performance; it's a tradition. You wanna come with us to the 'staff only' area and have one?"

The offer was tempting, and Sasuke was elated to be included in such a tradition, but just as he was about to accept, the front of the Hokage came into view, illuminated in the growing dark by several lights over the main entrance, and Naruto grabbed his arm, bringing him up short. Frowning, Sasuke was just about to ask what was wrong, but then he saw them.

Three spirits, dressed in black cloaks that were decorated with clouds as red as flame, were standing in the shadows beside the Inn, waiting silently for someone, and when their eyes affixed to Sasuke, he knew they were waiting for him. Mouth going suddenly dry, Sasuke gripped the strap of his satchel a little harder as if to reassure himself it was still there, then answered Ino, trying to sound as if nothing was wrong.

"I'd love to, but I just realized that I think I dropped something. I'm going to go retrace my steps for a bit to see if I can find it, so you guys go on ahead."

"Do you need any help?" Sakura inquired, concern on her face.

Sudden panic set into Sasuke. "No!" He almost shouted, and the faces of his companions swiveled towards him in confusion and concern.

"No," Sasuke repeated more calmly, forcing his fear down into a size that was more manageable. "I'll find it myself. You guys go inside; there's no sense of us all looking."

They still looked suspicious, but finally Sakura nodded unhappily. "I guess so. Good luck, Sasuke."

"You'll need it," Choji added. "It's getting dark out."

And boy, didn't Sasuke notice that fact.

Hinata was the last one to enter the Hokage, and, without meeting Sasuke's eyes, she gave a stuttering, "G- good luck," before disappearing inside.

"What's her problem?" Sasuke asked, confused by the behavior of the gentle girl.

"She's probably in shock and a little jealous," Naruto answered without much concern. "She was privy to our finale, after all."

Sasuke's cheeks turned bright red as the implications of Naruto's statement hit him. He'd forgotten that Hinata could see Naruto, but of course she had witnessed the somewhat exuberant ending to his performance. The knowledge stung Sasuke with embarrassment for a few moments, but then he shook his head angrily to clear his thoughts. They had more pressing matters to deal with right now.

When Sasuke looked up at the Akatsuki, they were still staring at him and Naruto with unmoving gazes, and it unsettled him. What was their purpose here? What could be they possibly gain from doing what they were doing?

Sasuke held his ground against the three piercing gazes for as long as he could, but eventually the cold, dead eyes overcame his own gaze, and he looked away. Beside him, Naruto did the same, and they huddled closer almost subconsciously, taking comfort in the other's warmth.

"What should we do?" Naruto whispered.

"They're here for us, but they aren't doing anything yet," Sasuke observed quietly. "They're waiting for something…"

But the question was, what were they waiting for?

The answer hit Sasuke all at once, like a wave of pure understanding. The Akatsuki were waiting for their company to be completed, for the one who had spied on them earlier to join the midnight stalemate. They were waiting for Neji.

"Neji," Sasuke gasped out on a whisper, and Naruto's eyes widened in shocked understanding.

"But didn't he go to bed? He was exhausted after earlier today."

Just then, as if the Akatsuki had heard what they were saying, a blast of dark aura so powerful it nearly blew Sasuke back a few steps back emanated from the spirits at the edge of the shadows, causing horrified shivers to go down his spine.

Gasping from the sudden pressure caused by the dark aura, Sasuke managed, "If he's in there, he felt that. Even if he was asleep, there is no way he could miss something of this magnitude."

Spectral teeth chattering, Naruto clung a little tighter to Sasuke. "So what do we do now?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, taking in every detail that he could and memorizing it. "We wait for Neji. Then, we see what they want. We have no other choice."

* * *

The same black aura from earlier that day woke Neji from a dead sleep with an abrupt bolt of terror, and he was on his feet before he had time to think, grabbing his shirt from the floor and tugging it on as he shoved his feet inside his shoes. Shirt still in the stages of being buttoned by hurried fingers and laces untied, he flew down the stairs in a panic, one though in his mind: they hadn't had to find the Akatsuki; the Akatsuki had come to find them.

As Neji entered the lobby, he heard Shikamaru yelling at the two other ghosts he had yet to have much interaction with.

"No, Kiba! Stay here with Lee!"

A frantic shout followed the instructions. "I won't! I'm not an idiot, Shikamaru; I can sense that sick aura, same as you, and I'm not about to sit here and do nothing about it!"

"Kiba has a point," remarked a more calm voice. "If this comes down to a fight, we're going to need every bit of power we can get."

Frustration bled through Shikamaru's tone, and Neji felt surprise at the blatant emotion present in the ghost who had presented such an unaffected facade to him earlier. "Which is exactly what they want you to think, Shino! Can't you tell that there's only three of them out there? There were five when we first saw them, which means that the other two are hiding somewhere! What would happen if we all were distracted by those three, and the other two snuck in here and hurt Lee? What would you do if they got all of us in one place and confined us to get us out of the way while they did something horrible? We need a backup plan, and that means you need to stay here!"

Silence followed that outburst as Neji listened, tightening the laces on his shoes, then the formerly frantic voice Shikamaru had addressed as Kiba spoke again, but more calmly this time. "I suppose that makes sense."

"Of course it does!"

The voice of a female ghost interrupted them. "Lee's waking up, and he's having trouble! Someone help me hold him down before he hurts himself!"

"Damn," the stoic voiced phantom, who Shikamaru had addressed as Shino, swore. "Kiba, come on! We'll take care of Lee; it'll probably take all three of us."

"And keep a lookout for the other two ghosts," Shikamaru instructed. "We don't know if they're going to try anything sneaky."

"Got it, Shika!" Kiba yelled, the sound of his voice fading as if he was moving into another part of the Inn.

A few seconds later, Shikamaru came floating out into the lobby at the exact moment when Neji stood up after tying his shoes, and raised an eyebrow at the harried boy.

"Your shirt's buttoned up wrong."

With a curse, Neji moved to fix the offending buttons, but Shikamaru flicked his hand in a parody of laziness that was belayed by his concerned eyes and tone, and all the buttons on Neji's shirt popped out and rebut toned themselves in the proper places. A slight shiver crept up Neji's spine as the tendrils of power brushed against his skin, but he shook the feeling off.

"What are you doing?" Neji asked coldly, seeking to brush off the calculating gaze resting on him.

"I'm confronting the Akatsuki with you," Shikamaru answered calmly, folding his arms across his chest.

"No, you're not," Neji rejected, slightly less calmly. "You don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Please." Shikamaru narrowed his eyes in a challenge. "There is nothing that goes on in this town that I do not know about. Besides, I think I've already proven my worth to you."

Neji shivered at the reminder of the humiliating and strangely exciting defeat he had suffered earlier that day, but quickly recovered. "A game of chess is different from a real fight."

Something snapped deep with shim arms gaze then, and he laughed coldly at Neji. "Oh, and don't I know it, perhaps better than you do. Tell me, Mr. Neji Hyuuga, what do you really know of me?"

Gulping, Neji found himself sucked into that cold gaze and unable to answer.

"What say you? Nothing? Well, that's exactly right: you know nothing about me. You know nothing of how my father sold the Hokage at the end of the the twenties soon when I was still a child, of how I grew up during the Great Depression, or of how I was shipped off to fight in World War 2 as soon as I was old enough. You know nothing of how I was promoted to an officer's position after I proved my worth, of how I lead my squadron to victory after bloody victory, or of the blood that rests on my hands."

"I…" Neji tried to say weakly, but Shikamaru cut him off.

"But go ahead and assume things about me. Go ahead and assume my worth and my story. After all, you are the one who must know best, because you are the one still alive."

Facing into those cold eyes, Neji suddenly found the need to warm them.

"I'm sorry." It was the only thing he could think of to say.

The apology startled Shikamaru enough that the hard coldness of his eyes was dislodged, and he looked away from Neji. "I don't need your sympathy. What's done is done, and what's dead is dead. There's no going back for one such as me."

"I'm still sorry."

Shikamaru's gaze, now inscrutable, swung back to Neji.

Bowing his head in apology, Neji continued. "I behaved rudely and insulted you without the intention of doing so, and for this, I apologize. I would be honored if you would join us in our confrontation of the Akatsuki."

"You really are fascinating."

That was certainly not the response Neji had been expecting, and when he lifted his head again in surprise, he saw that Shikamaru's angry attitude had already evaporated, and a lightly amused smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth. What was slightly more alarming, though, was a look of unrestrained hunger in his eyes.

"I- I beg your pardon," Neji choked out.

"No, you don't," Shikamaru responded, tilting his head to one side to better stare at Neji. "You would never beg; it is not in your nature. I have learned that much, at least."

Neji felt his face flush, knowing that the phantom was right. Trying to change the subject, he turned around, moving towards the door. "We have to go. There's no telling what the Akatsuki might do if we don't show up."

"Indeed," Shikamaru muttered darkly, his amused facial expression melting away like hot wax dripping from a candle.

To Neji, Shikamaru was shadowy and indecipherable, his moods carefully calculated and yet impossible to predict. If he didn't know better, he would think that the phantom enjoyed toying with him.

* * *

As soon as Neji and Shikamaru came out the door of the Hokage to join Naruto and Sasuke, the three black-cloaked spirits backed away and melted into the darkness, visible only as red patches vibrantly standing out against the falling night like fresh bloodstains. Naruto started after then but Shikamaru caught his arm.

"Wait. We don't know what they want. That may have just been a scare tactic."

Sasuke shook his head slowly after exchanging a glance with Neji. "No, that was no scare tactic. That was a challenge, and if we don't answer it, they'll consider us weak. Right now, they show us at least a little respect, since they challenged us as equals, but if they think we're weak, they won't hesitate to cut us down. We have no choice; we have to follow them."

"Are you sure?" Shikamaru asked critically, his brow furrowing in thought.

It was Neji who answered. "Absolutely. I don't know why I'd didn't realize earlier that this might happen. The Hyuuga family has many archives on ghosts of many different types, and this is typical behavior of Akatsuki. A group of Akatsuki is very similar to a pack of wolves, and will challenge anyone they view as a threat to their territory."

Clenching his fists in anger, Naruto growled, "Konoha is our territory, not theirs!"

Raising an eyebrow, Neji observed, "And apparently, groups of phantoms demonstrate the same behavior."

Naruto spun around to spew his anger at Neji. "This isn't the time for jokes!"

Neji made as if to retort, but Sasuke cut him off. "This isn't the time or place to fight among ourselves! We have a job to do! Neji, can you follow the trail of their aura to where they're waiting for us?"

Squinting a little into the twilight, Neji nodded. "Yes. They went this way; I'm sure of it. Follow me."

The Akatsuki had headed down a path in the forest behind the Hokage, Sasuke soon found out. The limbs of the trees overhead blocked out what little light the setting sun gave out, so when the entered the forest, Sasuke found himself suddenly and uncomfortably blind. The only thing keeping him on the path was Neji, who had grabbed Sasuke's arm as soon as he had faltered, leading him without a word along the path only he could see. Sasuke had a feeling it was his way of showing gratitude for Sasuke's silent acceptance of Neji's own weakness earlier that day. The ghosts, of course, had no need to avoid low hanging branches or roots sticking up from the ground.

"Why didn't we bring a flashlight?" Sasuke griped as he stumbled, and the sound of his voice slightly diffused the silent, dark tension of the moment.

"We didn't have time to grab one," Naruto chuckled halfheartedly. "Where would you have gotten one, anyway?"

"I don't know, but I should have planned ahead," Sasuke moaned as he stubbed his toe on ha root emerging from the ground. "I've got a fucking silver cross in this damned bag, but not a stupid flashlight."

"Poor Sasuke," Naruto teased. "Prepared for anything, yet he can't remember to pack something as simple as a flashlight."

"Hush," Shikamaru shushed them as Neji stopped up short, bring the tense aura of the moment back to the group.

"There's a clearing up ahead. It appears to the the shore of a small lake. The Akatsuki are floating over the water, waiting for us."

"Smart," Sasuke muttered. "They've put themselves out of reach."

"But that also means they can't attack us," Naruto pointed out.

"Unless they're confident in their ability to attack from a distance," Sasuke countered.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "So you think it's a trap."

Sasuke sighed, nervous. He had never gone up against an opponent as dangerous or powerful as an Akatsuki before, and here he was, about to confront three on his own and with people to protect. If this came to a fight, it would be one of the toughest ones of his life. "Unfortunately, I'm almost positive that's it's a trap."

Then Neji turned around to face the rest of them, and Sasuke saw that his eyes were faintly luminous. "Even so, we have no choice. We must answer their challenge, and we must answer it on their terms."

"Forward, then?" Naruto asked nervously.

"Forward," Sasuke agreed, tightening his grip on the strap of his satchel as Neji in turn tightened his grip on Sasuke's wrist and pulled him forward into the clearing.

The first thing Sasuke saw was the moon, which was beginning to rise overhead, illuminating the scene and the black-cloaked spirits that had challenged them. The Akatsuki were waiting just as Neji had said they were, floating a good ten years out over the open water. The ground underneath Sasuke's feet was beach-like in quality, but a rocky beach rather than a sandy one like the fight with Gaara had taken place on. The rocky shore went all the way up to the treeline, as if the dark forest was encroaching menacingly upon the hapless beach.

The place they had exited the forest from was about in the center of the rocky beach, with roughly twenty yards of cleared ground on either side of them. After that, the forest reclaimed the shore, trees growing so close to the edge of the water that some of their branches hung out over the lakes edge, gently leaning down to brush the water's surface. One of the largest of the overhanging limbs even had a rope attached to it, as if it was a swing often used for jumping into the water.

The lake itself was small enough that Sasuke could clearly see the opposite side, but deep, dark from its depth and tranquil, and the only thing disturbing the luminous reflection of the moon on its surface being the shadows of the Akatsuki, for their malevolent auras were powerful enough to affect the world of the living and block light from a man's sight. Very near to where Sasuke and the others were standing, a small stream was trickling out of of the lake in the direction of the ocean, and on the other side of the lake, Sasuke saw a similar stream flowing into the body of water.

Sasuke had only a few seconds to take this all in before the Akatsuki made their move. The centermost draugr took a few steps forward, the ones on either side of him taking a single step forward to flank him, so the three spirits stood in a sharp formation, like an arrowhead. They all had the cowls of their cloaks pulled up to their noses so their lower faces were obscured, but each possessed such distinctive hair that it was impossible to not be able to tell them apart.

The leader had metal stud piercings on either side of his nose and a shock of red hair that fringed over his eyes. In contrast to this controlled red fringe, the man to his left had blond hair that obscured half his face and was so long that it almost made him look feminine, until one noticed the heavy cheekbones and vicious eyes that looked like they wanted nothing more than to watch people burn. The draugr on the leader's other side had a face that was indeed green, as Neji had remarked from their earlier espionage encounter, but Sasuke now noticed in the faint light from the moon that while his skin had a mere greenish tint to it, the hair on his head had a leaf-like quality to it, as if was a bush perched atop his skull and not a crown of hair.

The man in the center pulled the cowl away from his face and fixed the group with a stare that held no malice, only distent coldness, and yet was terrifying to behold. The two other Akatsuki follow suit, revealing a predatory grin, in the case of the blond, and an expression completely devoid of interest, in the case of the one with the green face. The leader's stern face was a perfect balance between the expressions of both of his underlings, somehow managing to incorporate the harshness of the blond's evil smirk with the haughty smugness that stemmed from the green-haired man's expression.

The leader opened his arms in a sudden gesture of welcome, drawing Sasuke's eye.

"Greetings," he intoned in the harsh voice that Sasuke recognized from Neji's transmission when they had been spying on the Akatsuki, but it had been made smooth by the well-chosen words and tone of flattery. "We welcome you to our territory and present you with gratitude for your decision to answer our humble summons."

Well, they had excellent presentation; Sasuke could give them that. Standing together like that, they presented a unified front, giving off an aura of malice that belayed the welcoming words that had been uttered.

Neji stepped forward, shooting Sasuke a questioning look, which he gave a nod in response to. The Hyuuga had been raised to be well-spoken, an ability that Sasuke possessed but was not completely comfortable with, so he let Neji address the Akatsuki.

"What the hell do you want?" Neji bluntly asked the Akatsuki in a rude manor, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at them.

Sasuke winced. That was perhaps not the best first impression that they could have made. He had forgotten that Neji had almost no experience interacting with real, dangerous spirits.

But the Akatsuki seemed to take it in stride, and the green-faced draugr's expression even seemed to grow a little less frosty.

"What do we want?" The leader mused, rubbing his chin as if he was really thinking it over. "I wonder, Hyuuga. Perhaps it should be us who are asking that question of you?"

Hastily jumping in front of Neji in an attempt to save the situation, Sasuke said, "He meant no offense by it." Inwardly, he was thinking, _If Neji's careless words don't get us killed, it will be a miracle._

"And there was none taken." But the leader's eyes had grown slightly sharper, shooting cutting slices of interpretation at Sasuke. "Uchiha."

Sasuke's heart began to beat a little faster. "How do you know my family?" He queried nervously.

"Your eyes betray you as much as the Hyuuga's eyes betrayed him. Tell me, is it customary in your family to carry, to a peaceful summons, enough silver weaponry to maim an army of ghosts?"

Sasuke's mouth went dry and he felt his heart jump into his throat. He had hoped that this might pass by without a direct confrontation, but was confrontation now unavoidable?

As if hearing his unspoken question, the leader raised his left hand in a signal, and the blond started to cackle maniacally. He popped his knuckles with a smirk that widened gleefully, then swept his hands in an arc before him, and the ground directly behind Sasuke caught fire, sending sparks high into the air.

The sudden appearance of the fire made both Sasuke and Neji jump away in a panic, but Neji wasn't quite fast enough, and the blaze caught his cuff on fire. Swearing angrily, he leapt to the water's edge and pledged his arm into the lake before the flames had a chance to spread. Both of the ghosts turned incorporeal in an attempt to escape the blaze, but when a tongue of fire licked at Naruto's arm, he also jumped towards the water's edge, yelping.

Keeping a tight hold on his satchel so as not to lose any of its contents, Sasuke rolled along the ground to absorb the impact from jumping away from the fire, but with a second and third flick of the blond's arms, two more walls of flame rose up on either side of the group, trapping them inside a box made of the three walls of fire and the shore of the lake. Despite the heat rolling off the flames, Sasuke felt a shiver go down his spine as he looked up at the blond man with the feral grin. Normal ghosts, even draugrs and Akatsuki, didn't have abilities like this, which meant he had to have possessed his powers of pyrokinesis before his death. The thought was not a reassuring one.

With another flick of his hand, the leader gave another signal, and the flames died down, then disappeared, leaving behind a strip of burnt rock and melted sand solidifying into a black glass that gave off a malevolent dark shimmer in the light from the moon. The danger was gone, but the threat had already been made. There was no escape to be found, and now everyone knew it. Sasuke and the others and no choice but to listen to the demands of the Akatsuki unless they wanted to fight an all-out battle, and one it was now painfully obvious that they would lose.

A slightly more smug expression on her face, the leader crossed his arms and gazed down at the mortals and ghosts below him. "Oh, dear. That escalated quickly. I'm afraid we got off to a bad start, but I'd like for us to try again. Let's all introduce ourselves nice and proper-like, shall we?

Neither Sasuke nor Neji moved from their positions or said anything, but the leader took their silence for the grudging acceptance it was and foraged ahead. "My name is Pain. I must say, it is quite an honor to meet two such fine and talented gentlemen as yourselves. Don't be rude, now," he instructed to his underlings, gesturing to the stony-faced group on the shore below. "Introduce yourselves."

Flipping his hair over his shoulder, but not vigorously enough to dislodge the tuft that hung down over his eye, the blond announced, "I'm Deidara, the pyrokinetic. And no, I won't roast marshmallows, so don't bother asking."

That wouldn't have been the first thing Sasuke would say to a pyromaniac, but he supposed there must have been someone stupid enough to try it. He pitied the poor soul who had made that mistake.

The man with the green face didn't make eye contact with them as he introduced himself, instead keeping his gaze trained several feet above their heads. "Zetsu."

Apparently, Zetsu wasn't much of a talker.

The leader, Pain, opened his arms again. "There. Now you know us, but we still don't know you. Won't you give us the honor of telling us your names?"

Sasuke started forward, intending to speak for all of them, but Neji beat him to the punch.

"My name is Neji Hyuuga," he announced to the Akatsuki, and Sasuke almost hit himself in the forehead in disbelief. Neji had claimed to be the intelligence to Sasuke's brute strength, and here he was, making the more mistakes out of the two of them.

One of the Akatsuki was a confirmed pyrokinetic; it wasn't much of a stretch to assume that another might have the power to curse people, and Neji had just handed them exactly what they needed to do that. Even worse, he had just opened it up for Sasuke to get cursed as well. Neji, having proffered his own real name, would expect Sasuke to do the same, and would react adversity if he gave a false name. That would alert the Akatsuki, who would go after Sasuke to find out his real name, and in a fashion perhaps not so nice as their current one.

 _Dammit, Neji!_ Sasuke swore inside himself as he took a deep breath and a step forward to buy himself some time to think of a way out of this situation, but no solution presented itself, and the Akatsuki were looking at him expectantly, so he gripped the strap of his satchel a little tighter and prepared to speak, and perhaps condemn himself.

"Uchiha," he muttered. "Sasuke Uchiha."

"Sasuke," Pain almost purred, rolling the syllables around on his tongue like honeyed wine.

Maritime, true to form, started to pipe up as well, but an angry glare from Pain and a spurt of Deidara's fire quickly silenced him.

"I did not ask your name, now did I?" Pain roared suddenly, sending Naruto to cower behind Sasuke and causing Shikamaru to finch, but hold his ground. "Filthy spirits! Your meager existences are not even worthy enough to garnish our omnipotent reign, foul gutter-ghosts!"

"Asshole! What makes us any less worthy than you?" Naruto screamed, jumping out from behind Sasuke and launching himself at the Akatsuki.

"Naruto!" Sasuke just managed to grab Naruto by the back of his shirt before he got out of reach, but he kept struggling and screaming.

"Why are you any better than us? Aren't we all dead? Why can't you just leave us alone?"

"Stop it, Naruto!" Shikamaru commanded. "You're just making it worse!"

"No! I won't!" Naruto struggled against Sasuke's hold, making him wrap both arms about his middle in order to keep him constrained. "We were here first! Why do we have to sit and listen to them? Konoha is our town!"

That was the wrong thing to say. Immediately, all three of the Akatsuki's eyes hardened into marbles of ice, sending frozen glares at Naruto. The aura rolling off them was now thick enough to smother someone, and Sasuke was finding it hard to breath. Beside him, Neji started to choke, and Shikamaru hauled the collar of his shirt up over his mouth, creating a flimsy barrier between the air thick with malice and Neji's lungs.

"Konoha does not belong to you," Pain said slowly, enunciating each word with careful clipped diction. "But it does not belong to us either. We are, as you said, all dead. We simply need it more than you right now, so we have taken control of the spiritual plane of this town. A weak specter like you could never hope to be the equal of us."

"Bastard! I'll show you how strong I am!"

This time, Naruto struggled so hard that Sasuke had to tackle him to the ground to keep him from escaping his hold. While they were down, Sasuke took the opportunity to whisper in Naruto's ear.

"Stop fighting. If they don't know how strong you are, that gives us an advantage in a fight. Don't show your powers, because the only thing keeping them from eliminating you is the fact that they're underestimating you. Be our ace, Naruto. Can you do that?"

Naruto stilled underneath Sasuke, then gave a single jerky nod. Sasuke only let him up when he felt that Naruto had understood what he had said, then turned nervously toward the Akatsuki, hoping that they wouldn't suspect what he had whispered in Naruto's ear.

The Akatsuki must have been extremely confident, because they didn't even react to Naruto's last angry trade, and were watching the interactions with unamused expressions. Once Sasuke had gotten up and dusted himself off, Pain remarked in a bored tone, "If you're done restraining your pet, might we resume our business?"

"Pet?" Naruto hissed incredulously under his breath, but calmed down again when Sasuke gripped his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"What business would someone like you have with people like us?" Sasuke asked, careful to keep his tone neutral.

"Why, the same _business_ we have with anyone who sticks their noses into our _business_." Pain's voice became suddenly cold and sharp. "What were you doing today when we found you outside of our base?"

Neji and Sasuke shared a glance, then Sasuke stepped forward. He had more experience lying, after all, and this would require spontaneously lying through his teeth - and believably - for them to make it out this.

"Simple reconnaissance," Sasuke stated, hiding his nervousness behind a mask of iron. "This down has an over abundance of spirits, and with that comes an abnormal level of ghosts liable to attack those of our station on sight. We were investigating your aura to see if it was something we should avoid, but obviously we weren't expecting to encounter such spirits of vast intelligence and power as yourselves. We humbly apologize for the intrusion."

"Simple reconnaissance," Pain repeated doubtfully. "For some reason, I don't quite believe you."

Sasuke's heart thudded painfully hard in his chest, but he kept his face blank. "Why? We have no motivation to lie to you. I've been in Konoha for over two weeks already; don't you think that if I had come on a mission with a darker purpose, I would choose to investigate a little quicker?"

"That's what makes me suspicious," Pain countered. "Your story is a little too convenient, a little too spotless. It would be safer for us to just kill you and forget this ever happened."

Sasuke's throat went dry, and he abruptly lost his voice. This was not how this was supposed to work out!

"If you have any sense of self-preservation, I would highly advise against that." Neji took a step forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Sasuke. "No spectral murder can be committed without leaving traces of spectral power. If the both of us are killed together, members of both the Hyuuga clan and the Uchiha clan will come investigate our deaths. Do you really want to fight the combined might of both of our families?"

"Please." Deidara pointed to a limb of a tree that was hanging over the water, and it burst into flame, cracking away from the tree and landing with a splash in the water. Slowly it floated to the bottom of the lake, burning all the while and sending steam up from the surface of the water. "We can bring down any enemy that comes after us."

"I say we kill them." It was the longest sentence Sasuke had heard Zetsu utter, but the novelty of that didn't take the chill out of its contents.

"Now, not so fast." Pain looked over the group on the beach again, and Sasuke felt a little naked under that cold gaze. "We may still have a use for them. Hyuuga!" He called.

Neji jumped at the sound of his name. "Yes?"

"While you were eavesdropping, I assume you heard the reason why we're here in this town?"

Swallowing visibly before answering, Neji asked, rather that stated, "You're looking for something?"

Pain's eyes narrowed. "And what might that something be?"

"Th- the Kyuubi."

"Exactly," Pain mused. "The Kyuubi. We've been looking for it for three years now, but it still eludes us. Would you happen to know why that is?"

"N- no," Neji stuttered. "I've never heard of it before now."

Pain gave a disappointed hum. "Ah, well. It was worth a shot. The reason we cannot find it is because there are wards all over this town that prevent us from going inside the places that we need to access for research. But you…" He trailed off, his eyes misting over, before he shook his head and continued. "You could get into them. You could do the research for us. So, let us strike a deal: we won't kill you, and in return, you will help us find the Kyuubi."

Sasuke stomach started to churn uncomfortably. It was now all too clear that they were no match for the Akatsuki; it had only taken one of them to subdue the entire group earlier, and the other two had yet to even show their powers. Not to mention the fact that there were two other Akatsuki draugrs who hadn't even shown themselves yet.

And yet, there was no way Sasuke could ever agree to a deal with an Akatsuki draugr, like the one who had driven his brother mad. He would rather die than suffer that violation of his basic moral code, but there was also Neji to consider. Sasuke couldn't sentence an innocent that he had dragged into this to death just for his twisted sense of honor.

"Sasuke Uchiha. I thought I might find you here. What are you doing?"

Sasuke slowly turned his head back to the treeline, where a voice he hadn't heard since the night before was calmly intruding upon his inner thoughts. When owner of that voice stepped out of the shadows at the edge of the forest, Sasuke saw that Tenten was holding a gun.

"I could ask you the same thing," Sasuke stated much more calmly than he felt.

"This place is private, and well hidden." Tenten pointed the gun at Sasuke. "There no way you could have found it on your own. What's your game?"

Slowly, Sasuke raised his hands over his head, frustrated at himself. Now he was facing an enemy on both sides, and one of them was someone he had hoped to count as an ally. But just as he was getting ready to fast-talk his way out of this one, Tenten's eyes widened and she swung her gun up to point at the Akatsuki.

"Damn ghosts," she swore. "Can't you just leave us in peace?"

"Puny human," Deidara laughed. "As if a gun could do any damage to us."

"And before you get to cocky," Tenten announced, "This gun is loaded with silver bullets. I'm pretty sure that could take down any ghost."

"How do you know where they are?" Sasuke hissed, backing away from her. Had Tenten been lying when she had said that she couldn't see ghosts?

"On the lake," she explained. "Their shadows. If I can see those, I can hit them. I'm the best shot in this whole town."

"I'll burn you before you get the chance to shoot!" Deidara cried, but Pain threw an arm out in front of him to stop him.

"No." His eyes carefully surveyed the scene below him before he made a decision. "Leave them be."

"But-"

"No buts!" Pain swung his gaze around to pin Deidara, who cowered under his leader's glare. "This is where we take our leave."

The Akatsuki turned to go, then Pain turned back. "Oh, and Hyuuga, Uchiha: remember our deal. Find out about the Kyuubi for us, and we won't hurt you. 'Till we meet again."

And with that, they were gone. Tenten kept her pose for a couple more seconds before whispering out of the side of her mouth, "Are they gone?"

"Yeah, they're gone."

"Good." Tenten abruptly slumped, pointing the gun vaguely in Sasuke's direction.

"Hey! Watch where you're pointing that thing!" Sasuke jumped out of the path of the gun.

"What's? This?" Tenten asked, gesturing to the gun. "It's not loaded. I don't even know how to shoot one of these, actually."

Four jaws, two spectral, two real, dropped in surprise.

"You bluffed three ghosts who were serial killers in their lives with an unloaded gun, and you've never even shot one before?" Sasuke shook his head in admiration. "You are one amazing girl, Tenten."

"Yes." Tenten chucked the unloaded gun carelessly over her shoulder, then put her hands on her hips. "And now that that's been decided, would you mind telling me what the hell is going on here?"


	20. No Regrets

Tenten chucked the unloaded gun carelessly over her shoulder, then put her hands on her hips. "And now that that's been decided, would you mind telling me what the hell is going on here?"

Sasuke folded his arms over his chest antagonistically. "I thought you were avoiding me."

Cocking her head quizzically to the side, Tenten asked, "What on earth gave you that idea?"

"You didn't show up to the meeting this morning," Sasuke accused. "You're friends were hurt, too. They missed you at the karaoke tonight."

"Jesus, I was sick this morning!" Tenten exclaimed. "I texted Choji to tell everyone else! Did he not do it?"

"No, he told us," Sasuke said slowly, feeling his cheeks start to redden in the first signs of embarrassment. "I just assumed…"

"You assumed that I didn't come on purpose because I had a sudden epiphany last night that you were crazy and ghosts weren't real, despite the overwhelming evidence presented to me on the contrary," Tenten finished for him.

"Yeah," Sasuke muttered, embarrassed that his assumption had proven false and feeling a little guilty for making the assumption in the first place.

But Tenten waved a hand dismissively at him. "It doesn't matter. You were almost right; I had a tough time going to sleep last night, but I eventually came around to it. There's only so long a person can lie to himself and hid in the dark before the truth catches up with him."

"In any case, how did you find us?" Neji interrupted, stepping in between Sasuke and Tenten.

"Are you kidding? This is the best place for the local hooligans to hang out without any parental supervision. You couldn't even begin to imagine how many midnight jaunts I've been here for! I could walk that path blindfolded!" Tenten bragged, then narrowed her eyes almost immediately. "But the real question is, what are you doing here? It's impossible to find this place without help; that's why we like to use it. How did you get here? And who's the shady guy with you?"

"Shady-" Neji spluttered, and Sasuke, sensing that things were about to come clashing to a head, quickly raised his hand.

"This is Neji, and I asked him to come to Konoha."

Tenten crossed her arms over her chest, appearing to accept Neji's presence for now but still in interrogation mode. "You still haven't answered my first question. What are you doing here? And who were those weird spirits that I chased off? They didn't feel like the other ghosts you introduced us to last night."

Damn. Nothing got past Tenten, it appeared, and Sasuke once again found himself backed into a corner. He hadn't been planning on telling the meddlesome inhabitants of Konoha much more about spirits than he had already told them, and he was growing increasingly unwilling to share anything more - but for their own good. An appreciation and general knowledge of the spiritual realm wasn't a bad thing for the normal population of the world, but normal people weren't supposed to interact with ghosts; the more contact they had with spirits, the harder living their lives normally would become.

Sighing, Sasuke tried to find the vaguest answer he could say without offending Tenten. "The ghosts you scared off led us here. They… they're a bad lot."

"Look, I'm not stupid," Tenten said, taking a step forward angrily. "I know you have your secrets and your reasons for keeping them, but Konoha is our home, and this affects us too. We have a right to know what's going on."

"I know," Sasuke said quietly. "That's why I can't tell you."

Tenten folded her arms over her chest. "You can't tell me _because_ I have a right to know? That makes no sense!"

"Perhaps I should rephrase," Sasuke allowed, bringing up his hands in a show of amicability. "This is something that I, someone who has been trained the deal with spirits all my life, cannot allow people like you to get caught up in. Let me suffice to say that you all were right - there is a malignant spectral entity in this place, but not the one you first suspected, and it is grossly powerful and dangerous. Konoha is your home, and because of that, an attack on it is an attack on you. You and your friends would reply to such an attack with rash thinking, and in such a case, casualties would be almost unavoidable."

"Jesus," Tenten whispered, eyes wide.

"I hesitate to involve even Neji in this," Sasuke continued, "and he has also been trained in the art of spectral warfare."

"Though I wouldn't exactly say 'warfare'," Neji interjects. "My powers are more suited to intelligence gathering and lookout. Sasuke's the fighter - I'm more of a spy or guard dog, really."

Tenten's face had grown introspective, but it cleared as Neji finished speaking. "I suppose it makes sense," she admitted. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"At least you believe me," Sasuke said, passing a relieved hand over his brow.

"I have no choice; I can't not believe you," Tenten countered. "You're the only one who has any kind of experience with this. I can't see ghosts, after all. If I don't follow you, even if you are lying, there's a much higher chance of something going wrong. Face it, Sasuke: you're our only hope."

That gave Sasuke pause, more than anything else Tenten could have said. Sure, he had been investigating the Akatsuki, but more out of sense of self-preservation than anything else, and perhaps a little bit of obligation to Naruto and the other phantoms. He hadn't even really considered the fate of the other residents of Konoha.

It was strange, but to Sasuke, it seemed like the world outside Konoha had ceased to exist, like Chicago and his parents and his previous life were only a distant dream. He had forgotten the past for a while, had let the bright overtones of Konoha take over his dim memories. And it had made him truly happy.

Glancing behind him, Sasuke saw Naruto and Shikamaru, who had been watching the interaction with grim expressions. Shikamaru was standing slightly behind Neji, his hand floating a few inches above the Hyuuga's shoulder and an intense expression resting on his face. He was now a part of this, for good or ill, and Sasuke had the feeling that they couldn't exclude him even if they tried; his information network was just too good.

Sasuke shifted his gaze to the other ghost behind him, and he felt a pang of remorse when Naruto's eyes suddenly filled with tears, one of them dripping down his face and off his chin to splash damply against the glass-like sand. If Naruto was upset enough to cry corporeal tears, then something major was bothering him. Suddenly feeling very protective of the spirit, Sasuke made a vow to himself that Naruto was never going to cry in front of him again.

"Don't worry," he assured Tenten, but he kept his gaze locked with Naruto's. "I'll find out what's going on here, and I'll protect your home. I swear it."

* * *

It was almost two in the morning when Sasuke finally made it back to his room, Naruto in tow. Tenten had tried to get more information out of him, but he had managed to fend her off on the pretence that it was late and that she should probably get some rest before she had to confront Kakashi and her friends another missing work and the karaoke that night. She finally had relented and left, but Sasuke had made sure to extract a vow of secrecy from her on what she had seen that night, and she had reluctantly agreed.

But then once she was gone, Sasuke had to go through the process all over again with Shikamaru and Neji. Even though Neji was practically dead on his feet, he was set on making sense of the night's events before he fell asleep. Sasuke was only able to deter him by convincing him to check in on Hinata, since his cousin would definitely have felt the dark aura of the Akatsuki and would be worried. After he left, Shikamaru followed him without a word to Sasuke, only a slight nod and a look that promised that the discussion wasn't over.

"This is some situation you've gotten yourself in," Naruto remarked as Sasuke shut the door to his room, closing them off from prying eyes.

"Yes," Sasuke murmured as he collapsed in the chair next to his desk, too tired to do anything else. "I think that I may be able to recall one or two instances where I may have been in a situation with a more immediate threat to my life, but this is the most dangerous situation I have ever been in."

Naruto was silent for so long after that, Sasuke almost dozed off, but he was shaken out of his stupor by the phantom's question. "Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"Coming here, getting involved with us phantoms and having to go up against the Akatsuki." Naruto swallowed with difficulty before continuing. "Getting involved with me…"

That shook Sasuke awake, and he forced his tired body up to wrap his arms around a surprised Naruto. "No. I don't regret any of it. I've finally found friends here, something I've never been able to do my whole life. Spending time in Konoha, spending time with you, has made me feel alive again, and I wouldn't change that for anything."

The ghost of a smile flickered around Naruto's mouth. "Really?"

"Of course."

Sasuke leaned forward and pressed their lips together delicately, and he felt Naruto smile against him. When they pulled apart, he found himself swaying slightly, and Naruto tugged on his arm to pull him toward the bed, laughing gently.

"Go to sleep, Sasuke. You need the rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?" Sasuke asked sleepily.

"Promise," Naruto swore, pushing him down on the bed and pulling the covers and up over him.

The last thing Sasuke felt before sleep claimed him in its loving embrace was Naruto gently pressing his lips against his forehead, accompanied by a murmur of, "Good night, Sasuke. I'll see you in the morning."


	21. The Importance of White Walls

Hiya all! Sorry it's been so long, but life happened (Grr, life getting in the way of the important stuff). Anyway, this chapter is a perspective shift back to another two characters who need some more love. Enjoy!

* * *

Perhaps is was the novelty of having someone other than his father understand the real reason behind his insanity, but Itachi was really coming to like his new nurse. Kisame hadn't judged Itachi for what he had told him, and Itachi, in turn, tried to accept the big man. He swallowed the questions that threatened to break out of him, like why a buff, manly man like Kisame was babysitting a blind lunatic like Itachi when he could have any manor of buff, manly job that he wanted.

All the same, Kisame's presence had a calming effect on Itachi, and he was glad for it. In the weeks since he had become his personal caretaker, he spent at least ten hours of his daily twelve hour shift in the room with Itachi, who found himself opening up to him, something Itachi thought he would never be able to do. Kisame just felt so trustworthy that he couldn't not tell him. The days passed quickly now, but Itachi had regained his sense of time. Kisame coming into his room meant the beginning of a glorious new day; Kisame leaving meant the beginning of a lonely night. And so, the weeks passed, and Itachi found himself the happiest since his incarceration had begun.

Every day without fail, Itachi got up and dressed himself and sat at the table to await Kisame's arrival with breakfast. Though he would never admit it to his face, Itachi had started waking up early to make sure he was ready and waiting for Kisame. He felt like he was proving something by doing it, but he didn't quite know what. Still, he kept doing it, because it allowed him at least a little semblance of control.

"Good morning. What's for breakfast today?" Itachi asked one morning in a bored voice when he heard the door open, not even bothering to wait for Kisame to announce himself. He had memorized the sound of Kisame's footsteps a long time before.

"Whatever it is, it smells like an all-too-healthy gloop," Kisame replied as he closed the door behind him.

"Bah." Itachi made a face. "That's all they ever feed me. They're so afraid that I'll get fat from inactivity that they won't feed me anything remotely resembling real food."

"And what would you classify as 'real food'?"

"Oh, you know, McDonald's and stuff. I don't think I've tasted a good batch of French Fries for almost a decade."

That gave Kisame pause. "That's how long you've been here?"

Itachi signed. "God, I don't even know anymore. It's been so long, and I can't count the seasons in this little padded box. What's the date?"

"March 5, 2014."

"Huh." Itachi tilted his face up towards the ceiling he couldn't see and the sky beyond it that he would give anything to look upon again. "So I've just passed the eight year mark. Somehow, it seems like it should have been longer than that, and yet at the same time, too many years have passed."

"Are you… happy here?" Kisame asked cautiously.

"Happy?" Itachi echoed. "I don't know. I don't even know if I know what that is anymore. I've ceased to live, so I've ceased to care. This is simply the existence delegated to me for my sins until I meet my end."

A faint clicking sound assaulted Itachi's ears, as if Kisame was clutching the try so hard, the dishes were rattling against the platter. "Sins?"

"Well, what else would you call them?"

"Mistakes, perhaps, but certainly not sins!" This was accompanied by a crash, as if the platter was set done rather roughly in the table.

"Mistakes?" Itachi laughed harshly and without humor. "I'm in a psychotic ward! I wore a straight jacket when I first arrived so I couldn't hurt myself or anyone else! I blinded myself after a failed attack on a member of my family, Kisame; I think that counts as a sin!"

Without warning - and how a big man like Kisame could move so swiftly and quietly, Itachi didn't know - a pair of large, strong arms wrapped around Itachi, and he found himself melting into Kisame's embrace without much of a fight. Itachi had always been a tall man, but he was barely tall enough to rest his forehead against Kisame's shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault," he said in a low voice, the vibrations traveling to Itachi's skin where it connected with his. Another person might have seen Kisame's lips move, but this was the only physical representation of the words Itachi had. "You're not to blame."

"You can't promise me that," Itachi accused, the words muffled by Kisame's shirt. "You don't know what happened."

"No, but I do know you, and the person you are now would never hurt someone you cared about." Kisame soothingly stoked his hand up and down Itachi's back. "You're cynical and sarcastic and you've been hurt by the world, but you're a good person in your heart. That's why I know it isn't your fault."

A thick lump was forming in Itachi's throat, but he swallowed it down. "You know, this is the second time you've hugged me."

"You keeping track?"

"You wish." Itachi gave a delicate sniff. "It's just that the hospital rules don't allow prolonged full body contact between any of the staff and patients except when they're being restrained."

"You afraid of a little rule breaking?" Kisame teased, the smirk on his face evident in his voice.

"No, it's just… It's just…" Itachi allowed his fingers to tangle themselves in Kisame's shirt. "This is the first time someone's embraced me like this since before I came here."

Kisame stiffened a little. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No!" Itachi's fingers automatically tightened in their grasp, but he forced himself to loosen them with a deep breath. "You don't have to let go. I… I don't mind."

"You 'don't mind?'" Kisame gave a hearty chuckle and settled his arms more comfortably around Itachi. "You're just too embarrassed to admit that you're starved for human contact."

"Oh, stuff it," Itachi muttered, but he didn't pull away.

"Come here," Kisame said when no other reaction was forthcoming, and gently pulled Itachi backwards until they reached the couch, where he tugged gently until kitsch gave in and sand down next to him, curling up against his strong chest. "You want to tell me about it?"

Itachi hunched his shoulders in a vain attempt to protect himself from the question. "Yes… And then again, no. It's just been something I've been trying to forget for too long."

"But that's what's been hurting you, isn't it?" Kisame asked, brushing his hand soothingly down Itachi's back.

"It's not forgetting that's bringing the pain… It's remembering."

Kisame didn't reply to that in words, but gently combed his fingers through Itachi's long hair. Vaguely, Itachi realized that it had been a long time since it had been cut, since no sharp objects were allowed around him, and that its length had long since gone past his shoulders. He wondered why he had never noticed this before.

The silence, the only tangible thing to the blind man, grew obsessive and heavy. It pressed down on his shoulders and crushed the delicate organs inside his body with its weight, and even Kisame's comforting hand couldn't chase it away. The air in the room suddenly seemed so hot and stale, almost solid, and Itachi couldn't draw in a breath. He struggled to make his lungs work, pulse fluttering rapidly, until he couldn't take it anymore.

"I haven't seen the sun in eight years," he said heartbrokenly, his throat tightening around the words. "Or felt the wind, or smelled anything except chemical and damn hospital cleanliness. I want to leave, I want to go outside again… And yet, I wouldn't, even if given the chance."

"Why?"

The word, so often uttered by doctors who had sought clinical answers for their black and white problems, felt different when Kisame said it. Maybe it was his tone or something about his voice, or it could have been the way he was embracing Itachi. Whatever the reason was, Itachi felt like this was the one person he wanted to answer when asked the simple question, "why?"

"I don't deserve it," Itachi said softly, pressing his face into the material of Kisame's uniform in the hopes that the cloth would muffle some of his confession. "I hurt too many people. I let them down when they trusted me. My family, my parents, and…" He trailed off, unable to continue.

Kisame's hand gave Itachi's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Who? Whose memory is hurting you?"

"Sasuke," he choked out, and a pain struck his chest as if a knife had just slipped through his ribs and pierced his heart. "My baby brother… Oh, God, Sasuke…"

"What happened?"

"I loved him so much," Itachi said, dry sobs starting to shake his body. "Our father never gave him enough attention, so he always looked to me as a replacement. He used to worship me… And I betrayed him! I wasn't thinking straight; I thought I was saving him from the horrors I had experienced, but I was just hurting him. He was coming home from school, and he came through the door and ran up to me to hug me, and I stood there waiting for him, and I had a knife hidden behind my back. He trusted me so much, and wrapped his arms around me and smiled, and then I pushed him to the ground and pulled out the knife. I'll never forget the look in his eyes when he saw that knife, love turning to abject terror. He started screaming and luckily our father managed to drag me off before I did any permanent damage, but it was too late. I was too far gone, and I couldn't take it anymore, and I…" Itachi touched the bandage covering his ruined eyes. "I took the coward's way out. I don't deserve to exist in the same universe as the people I hurt."

"Itachi…"

Itachi cut him off. "That's why I can't leave. I can't hurt anyone else ever again, and this is the only way to do it. The padded white room keeps the lunatic safe from the world… And the world safe from the lunatic."

Kisame was silent, and Itachi was suddenly afraid that he had driven away the only friend he had made since entering this hellhole by telling him the truth. But maybe that was his penance, to be alone here for the rest of his life. It was a necessary purgatory, if not an enjoyable one. Itachi leaned back from Kisame, putting deliberate distance in between them.

All of a sudden, the room's intercom crackled to life and spoke in a voice made harsh by the speaker, startling Itachi.

"Kisame, what's going on in there? The patient's heart rate is going out of control."

Damn! Itachi forgot about the heart rate monitor in his hospital bracelet that relayed information directly to a computer so his state of mind could be monitored at all times. The system had been used often when he first arrived, but this was the first time Itachi had been upset enough for it to go off in several years. He hunched down into himself as he prepared for Kisame to ask for backup, or a replacement, or to leave and never come back.

"We're all fine in here."

Itachi's head shot up as he heard Kisame calmly talk to the person on the other end of the speaker. He didn't want to leave?

"Are you sure? We can send someone in with a dose of sedatives if-"

"No!" Kisame interrupted, almost shouting, then took a deep breath to calm himself. "I have everything under control. There is no need for sedatives."

"Kisame?" The voice was filled with concern now. "You sure on that? No sedatives? That patient has a history of violent outbreaks."

"He was emotional, not violent," Kisame said in an authoritative tone, "but he's calmed down now. There is no need to sedate him."

The voice gave a tired sigh. "Well, it's your decision. You know where the buzzer is if you change your mind."

And with that, the intercom beeped one final time and was silent.

"I apologize for the interruption," Kisame said in a voice that was deeper than his normal tone.

"It's fine," Itachi murmured, letting his head fall forward.

"No, it's not!" Kisame's weight suddenly disappeared from the couch and he slammed his fist down on the table, making the dishes rattle and Itachi jump. "I don't know how much you know about mental health procedures, Itachi, but people who are locked up don't normally get a personal care assistant just to themselves, even if they are blind. I'm not your average nurse; I have a graduate degree in abnormal psychology, and I was hired directly by the head of the hospital to evaluate your mental capacity by spending extended amounts of time with you - why, I didn't understand at the time, but it makes sense now that you told me he's your father."

A swooping sensation filled Itachi's gut as his stomach choose that moment to fall through the floorboards and into the room below. "My father... hired you? To evaluate me?"

"He said he wanted an unbiased perspective, different from the doctors who have worked with you for years. I wasn't given any information about expect for your first name to prevent me from forming any opinions before I met you."

"Were all my other nurses … evaluators … as well?"

There was a sound of rustling cloth, as if Kisame was shaking his head back and forth. "No. Just me."

Itachi nodded, slowly rising from the couch. "So, what you're telling me is that everything you've told me before this has been a lie?"

"A lie?" Kisame sounded taken aback. "No, I never-"

"Really?" Itachi interrupted, his voice rising in volume. "Because what it sound like to me is everything you've done has been for the sake of evaluating my 'mental capacity', as you called it. Has it? Was any of it real, or was it all just a ploy to get close to me, to open up my mind so you could rifle through it? Because I-" Itachi suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth, preventing the words inside from escaping. _Because I trusted you. Because I thought of you as a friend._

Itachi stumbled backwards until he tripped over his own feet, trying to get away from Kisame, but the big man just came after him and grabbed his arms, hauling Itachi to his feet again. "Itachi…"

"Don't touch me!" Itachi cried, anger spiking. "Don't-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as Kisame slammed his hand over Itachi's mouth just in time to prevent the person calling in the intercom to hear him.

"Kisame, what's going on? He's spiking again! I've already sent people with the sedatives-"

"No! No sedatives!" Kisame almost growled. "I have everything under control. He's being emotional, not violent."

As if to counteract that statement, Itachi bit down fiercely on Kisame's hand, but Itachi's hard-handed assailant didn't even react to the pain.

"Kisame, if he's having problems, we need to sedate him for his own good-"

"Do I need to remind you that you are supposed to defer to my judgement when I'm with him? Sedating him at this point will only make things worse in the future."

There was a rough silence, then the voice on the intercom sighed. "Fine. But don't get arrogant, Kisame. Call for the sedatives if you can't deal with him."

The intercom fell silent again, and Kisame lifted his hand away from Itachi's mouth. "That hurt," he said reproachfully.

"Bastard!" Itachi threw a wild punch that glanced off Kisame's shoulder without doing any real damage. "Get the hell away from me!"

"Itachi, I know you're upset, but you need to calm down-"

"No! Don't tell me what to do!" Itachi backed up until his back hit the soft wall of his cell. "My god, I opened up to you, I trusted you, and you were one of them all along!"

Itachi felt hands grab his wrists, but he shook them off.

"I said, don't touch me!"

"Itachi!" Kisame seized both of Itachi's wrists and slammed them back into the wall, making a cage that trapped Itachi between him and the wall. "Would you just shut up and listen to me?"

"No!" Itachi tried to headbutt Kisame, but he easily moved out of the way of the blind attack. "I'm not listening to you anym-!"

There was suddenly something blocking Itachi's mouth from moving, and he thought Kisame had covered it with his hand again, then he realized that both of Kisame's hands were occupied keeping his own hand pinned to the wall, so what was silencing him was- oh, God, Kisame was kissing him!

When he first realized the creative way Kisame had shut him up, Itachi struggled, trying to get away, but Kisame held him fast. Itachi had been in the middle of talking when Kisame had kissed him, so his mouth had been open, which now gave Kisame free access to his tongue, meeting it with his own. When Itachi felt the possessiveness of Kisame's tongue rolling against his own, he lost all will to fight and grew boneless in Kisame's arms. Starved for human contact, indeed; Itachi was so drunk on the feeling of another human being intimately close to him that he couldn't remember what he had been angry about a moment before.

Kisame loosened his grasp on Itachi's wrists, and immediately Itachi let his arms slip around Kisame's neck. He couldn't help it; this was the first warm human contact offered to him since his imprisonment, and he had no choice but to obey his body and demand more, which Kisame gave, the corners of his lips turning up in a smile that Itachi could feel against his own mouth.

When they finally broke apart, Itachi was breathing hard, and he could hear Kisame's breath coming irregularly as well.

"What was that for?" Itachi tried to accuse, but the effect was ruined by his breathy tone and trembling limbs.

"I wanted to calm you down," Kisame said.

Anger spiked in Itachi again, but not as hard as before. "So you think you can predict everything about me now? Am I just a puppet to you?"

A hand slammed into the wall right next to Itachi's ear, and causing him to flinch. "For God's sake, Itachi, will you just shut up and listen to what I have to say?"

"Fine. Fine!" Itachi pushed away from the wall, following the soft barrier with his fingertips until he reached his bed, then he sat down on the edge of it and crossed his legs and arms. "You have my attention. Now tell me what you wanted to."

Itachi heard Kisame take several steps toward him, but he stopped before he reached the bed, something Itachi was grateful for.

"As I said before, I was hired to evaluate your mental capacity. I was brought in to spend time with a mentally unstable person with mood swings, sporadic fits and episodes of violence. And do you know what I've found since I got here?"

"Please, enlighten me," Itachi snapped.

"A stable man who has been wrongfully incarcerated for almost ten years."

A cold hand of fear clenched Itachi's heart. "Wh-what?"

"Itachi, you are as sane as any of those doctors out there who study you. The only difference is that they can pump you so full of chemicals that you can't think straight, so that gives them an edge over you."

Itachi started to tremble all over. "Want are you saying? I'm the lunatic here; I'm the crazy one! You're not making any sense! I have to be crazy…"

"You probably were at one point, but you're not anymore. Can you think back for me and tell me what it was like when you first arrived here?"

Itachi placed his hands over his sightless eyes as if that would gouge out the memory of his early time in the ward, but he answered in spite of himself. "I don't remember much at first except they tied me down and I screamed a lot. Then came all the drugs, and I remember begging my father to be taken off them. After that was like the beginning: restraints and lots of screaming."

"And then?" Kisame prompted.

"And then…" Itachi slowly lowered his hands, Kisame's logic dawning on him. "And then I lived normally for a long time, with my entire memory intact… And then you came."

"You aren't crazy, Itachi," Kisame said kindly. "And you haven't been for a long time."

"But I was?" Itachi asked fearfully. "At the beginning? I really was crazy, right?"

"Yes, but not as much as you might think. I believe you just had an abnormally strong case of PTSD that cause your sanity to snap temporarily, but by the time you would have recovered on your own, you were already in here and the doctors were pumping your veins full of their 'help'."

"Oh god." Itachi covered his mouth in shock. "You mean I've been in here this whole time, tricking myself into thinking that I was crazy?"

"This is going to sound awful… But yes, that's correct."

"No." Itachi started to shake his head violently back and forth. "I have to be crazy. Why else would I be in the padded white cell? The padded white cell is for the lunatic, to protect him from the world and the world from him. I have to be crazy!" He jumped up and tried to grab at Kisame, but he tripped and the other man caught him just before he fell. "Kisame, what color are the walls of this room?" He demanded.

"The walls? They're yellow."

Yellow. Yellow walls. This was not a padded white cell. This was not the holding place for a lunatic. Itachi wasn't crazy. A laugh bubbled up inside of him, and he couldn't help but let it escape, even as dry sobs started to rack his body.

"Itachi? Are you okay?" Kisame asked in concern as the body in his arms started to shake.

"I'm fine," Itachi replied. "I'm more than fine; I'm sane! It's just… in times like these, I wish I still possessed the ability to cry."

Strong arms folded around Itachi, and he sank into their embrace. "You don't have to cry. This is a happy thing, right?"

Itachi looked up at Kisame at that, even though he couldn't see his face. "Is it?"

"Yes it is, because you don't deserve to be here, and I'm going to get you out."

A flash of hope flew into Itachi's stomach like a swarm of butterflies. "Really? You can do that?"

"I won't stop until you're free," Kisame vowed. "No man deserves to have his freedom taken from him like this. You deserve to be able to stand outside and feel the sun in your face again."

Itachi was silent for a moment, letting the concept sink in. After all these years, he was going to be free again! Something else entered his mind, though, and he blushed a little as he thought about it. "Kisame?"

"Yes?"

"So, why did you… Why did you…"

"Why did I kiss you?"

Itachi felt his cheeks flame, and he could only nod.

"Well, I suppose… Because I wanted to. Did you not want me to?"

Itachi could clearly hear the self consciousness in Kisame's voice, and he shook head head vigorously. "No, I didn't mind. I just wanted to know what your… intentions were."

"My… intentions?" Kisame took in a deep breath of air and let it out in a big rush. "I suppose that was a promise, to make sure you get out of here."

"Just a promise?" Itachi asked, trying not to sound too dejected.

"For now," Kisame corrected himself, and Itachi felt his heart jump with hope. "But it shouldn't be anything more; they'd fire me and I'd never get the chance to get you out of here. But I can make you another promise, that it will mean something after you're free, if you want."

"I think… I'd like that," Itachi said, feeling a smile steal across his face.

"Well, then, I'll just have to make another one, won't I?" Kisame teased gently, then leaned down and pressed his lips against Itachi's. The kiss was unbearably sweet and bittersweet in its brevity, and when it was over Itachi wanted it to keep going on, but he knew it couldn't.

Kisame pulled back and lead Itachi to sit down at the table without a word, then sat down opposite him. "So, do you want your breakfast now?"

"The healthy shit? Of course not," Itachi replied, but there was a new gentleness to his sarcasm and blush that spoke of secrets.


	22. Unlikely Bargining

And I'm back! I know I missed a couple of weeks, but everyone be prepared because Spectral Eyes is going to get finished this April! Thanks everyone for your support of my story!

* * *

The first thing Sasuke noticed when he woke the next morning was that the sun was slanting through his window at a higher angle than it normally was when he woke, so it must be later than when he normally woke in the mornings. This was followed immediately by the realization that Naruto was no longer lying next to him. A sudden surge of panic went through him and he sat bolt upright, looking around the room frantically. Hadn't the last thing Naruto had said to Sasuke before he fell asleep been a promise to see him in the morning? Where was he?

A wash of relief went through Sasuke as he spotted Naruto a second later, sitting at the desk and completely engrossed in a book. He looked up at Sasuke's sudden leap into the realm of the upright, and laughed as Sasuke covered his eyes with a groan.

"You'll get vertigo if you sit up too fast," he warned with a good natured chuckle.

"Thanks for the warning," Sasuke snapped back sarcastically, squinting out from between his fingers.

"You're just jealous that your feeble human body can't handle too much movement." As if to prove his point, Naruto floated up several feet into the air and proceeded to perform a lazy barrel roll.

Hastily covering his eyes again, Sasuke moaned, "Cut it out! You're going to make me dizzy just looking at you!"

"Fine," Naruto sighed, floating back down to perch back in the chair. "So, where'd you get this book?"

"What book?" Sasuke groused as he climbed out of bed.

"This one. It was in your satchel."

"You went through my stuff?!" Sasuke yelled indignantly, jumping over to stand behind Naruto, who put his hands up in an expression of innocence.

"It fell over in the middle of the night and the book fell out of it! I didn't touch anything else, I swear!"

One look at Naruto's honest expression made Sasuke believe him, and he leaned over to look at the book. To his surprise, he saw that it was one of the the photo albums he had found the first time he had gone to the library, the ones about the owners of the Hokage. It was the first one, the one that started with Minato buying the Hokage and turning it into an inn, and it was open to the page with the photo of Naruto and his family on it.

"I didn't know there was still a photo of us left," Naruto said softly, gently reaching out a spectral finger to ghost over the faces of his parents. "It's been so long since I saw my parent's faces… I'd almost forgotten what they looked like."

Sasuke reached out and placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder, and he shook himself out of whatever trance he was in. "Where'd you get this?" He asked Sasuke, turning those vibrant blue eyes toward him.

"I… I don't know," Sasuke said slowly, frowning at the book. "I mean, I've seen it before; I looked at it in the library, but that was weeks ago. I have no idea how it got in my bag."

"Maybe you just forgot it was in there," Naruto suggested, turning away from Sasuke and becoming engrossed by the picture again.

"I don't think so…" Sasuke frowned, trying to remember how the book might have gotten inside his bag. He was sure that it hadn't been there last night, because he had cleaned out several things, including a different book, to make room for his blazer, and he was sure that he would have noticed it then. That meant that it had either fallen in or someone had slipped it in sometime after that, most likely when he was watching everyone sing. But even if he had missed it, Naruto probably wouldn't have, so that again left him with no answers.

Suddenly, Naruto's head snapped up toward the door. "Neji's coming. He probably wants a plan, so be prepared."

"Damn," Sasuke muttered under his breath, then ran to pull up the covers on his bed and kick his dirty laundry in the closet. Hey, when a teenage boy lived in a certain area for an extended amount of time, it tended to get messy, but he didn't have to show that to Neji. Conceited brat had probably never had a messy room in his life.

The knock at the door came just as Sasuke was firmly closing the close door on the offending garments, and he quickly hurried to open it. Neji was standing on the other side of the door, looking just as bedraggled as Sasuke felt. Like Sasuke, he appeared to have slept in his clothes, to tired to change when they had arrived back at the Hokage, and his shirt was rumpled and untucked.

"Don't wish me a good morning because it's not morning anymore," Neji announced as he pushed past Sasuke without waiting to be invited in. "It's past noon now, so I figure it's about time that we start to plan our strategy, don't you think?"

"I'm going to see how Lee's doing," Naruto suddenly announced, backing towards the door. Sasuke mouthed a silent " _traitor_ " at him, but he just smirked and disappeared through the open door. With a sigh, Sasuke closed it behind the ghost and turned to Neji, who had sat down in the chair Naruto had just vacated and was looking at Sasuke expectantly.

"Well, I think the first step is to look at the situation very closely and decide what we want to do before we plan anything," Sasuke said, moving over to sit on his hastily made bed.

"What do you mean?" Neji asked with a frown. "We're dealing with the Akatsuki. How does that require any additional decisions?"

"It's not a simple as just 'dealing with them'," Sasuke said, making air quotes around the words. "We need to decide what we think about their group as a whole and the offer they gave us last night, whether we want to try and kill them or just force them to leave… or whether or not we want to accept their offer."

Neji jumped from his chair and grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders, anger radiating from his features. "Accept their offer? Are you crazy? That goes against every code of our families! You could get disowned for even considering it if your father found out!"

"Exactly!" Sasuke shook Neji's hands off and stood up, starting to pace back and forth across the room. "They know who we were, so they had to also have known that we would never accept their offer as long as we are loyal to our families."

"I'm obviously missing something here, and I'd like you to explain it," Neji said with ice in his gaze, clipping each of his words and folding his arms across his chest.

Pacing wildly across the floor of the room, Sasuke started explaining the thoughts that had been brewing in his head as he had slept. "The Akatsuki had to have known that we would refuse them, so why give the offer in the first place? Well, they had to have known that we would have picked up on the unnatural spiritual aura of this place, and by dangling the carrot of the Kyubi in front of us, they may be counting on our curiosities to get the better of us to investigate it, regardless of whether we accept their offer or not."

"Why? What's the Kyubi really got to do with anything?"

"There are five phantoms living in one building and a ghost hasn't faded in this town for over a hundred years," Sasuke said pointedly.

"Fair enough," Neji said with a sigh. "It's enough to make anyone curious."

"And there's also the possibility that we might be able to get to the Kyubi before them and protect it in a way that they'll never be able to get it, but we'll only be able to do that if they trust us enough to leave us alone long enough to do the research."

Realization dawned in Neji's eyes. "So you're suggesting we pretend to accept their offer to get them to trust us, then sneak behind their backs and betray them."

Ah, Sasuke loved it when he didn't have to explain everything. Perhaps he and Neji should work together more in the future; their thinking styles seemed to compliment each other. "Yes, but it's not going to be that simple. If they know that we would never go against our families' wishes-"

"They would figure out that it would be a trap, of course," Neji finished. "We'll have to think of some way to trick them."

"Precisely."

A frown drew across Neji's face, creasing the skin between his eyebrows. "How do we do that?"

"I have an idea, but you're not going to like it," Sasuke said, stopping his pacing and facing Neji directly.

With a sigh, Neji stood up to face Sasuke. "Lay it on me."

As quickly as possible, Sasuke explained his prospective plan to Neji. When he was done, Neji was already shaking his head.

"That's insane! I can't let you do that!"

"Do you have a better idea?" Sasuke asked pointedly.

"But why does it have to be you?" Neji argued. "I could do it just as well as you could, and they might be more willing to believe me because I haven't been here as long."

"That's fair," Sasuke said, mulling it over in his mind, "but I'm pretty sure they believed me when I said that I was here on vacation, and your abrupt appearance might seem a little more suspicious to them. It could really go either way, so it would be safer for me to do it."

Folding his arms across his chest, Neji snapped out, "Why?"

"Because when push comes to shove, I can use my eyes more offensively than you."

Neji opened his mouth to retort, but the logic in Sasuke statement hit him and he snapped it shut again. "Fine. I'll concede- this time. But don't think you're going to do everything yourself."

"I won't," Sasuke promised, moving towards his satchel, which was hung over the back of the chair.

"Where do we start?" Neji inquired.

"First, I need some more holy water," Sasuke said, scratching his head ruefully as he grabbed the empty vial. "I used up the last of it in the fight with Gaara yesterday. God, was that only yesterday? It seemed like years have gone by since then."

"A lot has certainly happened. I don't think I've ever been in a situation like this before," Neji admitted.

"Which makes it all the more dangerous." Sasuke pulled a silver knife out of his satchel. "And that means we have to be very careful. Do you know how to use one of these?"

"A knife? Heavens, no." Neji looked offended by even the thought. "I fight with the powers my gift gives me when I'm forced into a situation that requires it, and that-"

"-is enough to get you killed in a situation like this," Sasuke finished for him. "Never go up against anything stronger than a figure without at least two silver knives, and it wouldn't hurt to a silver cross or two as well. And we're facing five Akatsuki by ourselves - Neji, we're in way over our heads."

"You're not by yourselves," a voice came from beside the door, startling both Neji and Sasuke and focusing their attention on the speaker. Naruto was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. Behind him, all the other phantoms except Lee were arranged in a lax but tense formation, their casual stances belayed by the hardness in their eyes. "We're here too."

"Oh, sorry; I didn't see you there," Sasuke said a little too loudly, trying to draw the attention away from the matter previously being discussed. "How's Lee doing?"

"Resting, but recovering. Tsunade's with him now." Shikamaru was leaning against the doorframe opposite Naruto, his face tilted upwards but his eyes glancing sideways. "Don't try to change the subject. We're here too, and there's nothing you can do to stop us from getting involved."

There was a harsh glint in all of the phantoms' eyes that Sasuke was finding hard to ignore. It was a cold, glinting light, and yet, brought there by love of their home. This was one conversation he had hoped to avoid.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to get involved," Sasuke said with a sigh. "Don't you remember the conversation I had with Tenten last night?"

"Yeah, but-" Naruto tried to protest, but Sasuke cut him off.

"You may be less ignorant of the situation than she was, but that doesn't give you an advantage! The fact remains that you aren't trained in how to fight dangerous ghosts, and some of the techniques I utilize could bounce back and hurt you!"

"I don't think that will be a problem. We're smarter than you give us credit for," Shikamaru said, his gaze fixing piercingly on Sasuke. "Don't you remember how we fought Gaara togetherness? Our strengths play off each other, and we'll be stronger together than apart."

"He's right, you know, Sasuke," Neji said quietly. "Even a man like your father wouldn't go this alone."

The five sets of eyes were baring into Sasuke from all around him: inscrutable behind glasses in Shino's case, wild and judgemental in Kiba's, slyly piercing in Shikamaru's, calm but hiding an internal panic in Neji's, and in Naruto's case - and this was the one that hit Sasuke the hardest - barely restrained hope. The gazes were a weight, but a surprisingly freeing one. They meant that there were people out in the world who were counting on Sasuke, who were trusting him to come through, and that meant he had friends. The knowledge was not entirely new to him - after all, he had had the same realization the previous evening after his performance - but there was a difference between knowing that people would accept you and knowing that there were people who were depending on you, because having people depending on you also meant that you had people to depend on.

"Alright," Sasuke said finally, and every gaze in the room lit up in a smile. "But if you're going to all help, you're going to have to exactly what we say."

"I trust your expertise, but you're going to have to realize that we also have the expertise of living in this town as ghosts for a century," Shikamaru warned.

Giving him an acknowledging nod, Sasuke said, "And we'll utilize your expertise, but if we want to do this as safely as possible, you need to trust our judgement."

"Fair enough," Naruto said with a shrug, then stuck his tongue out at Shikamaru when the other phantom glared at him. "Oh, come on, it makes sense; you're just being stubborn because you're not in charge."

"So, are we all in agreement?" Sasuke quickly interjected before the argument got more serious.

All the phantoms voiced their agreement except Shikamaru, who simply gave a terse nod.

"Alright, then," Sasuke said as he started pacing again. "Here's what we're going to do…"

* * *

Close to four hours later, Sasuke was walking towards the shack where he, Neji and Naruto had spied on the Akatsuki the day before, his throat dry and his heart pounding the steady 120 beats per minute of a Sousa March. Neji was on the complete opposite side of town, at a local church trying to get some more holy water. Shikamaru had elected to go with Neji to the church while the rest of the phantoms were on an information gathering mission to some of the oldest ghosts in Konoha, so Sasuke was completely on his own.

It had taken quite a bit of persuading to get everyone to agree to his plan, but in the end he had won them over. If he were to approach the Akatsuki alone, they would be more likely to receive him and trust him, which meant that everyone else had to be far enough away that they couldn't provide backup if things went badly. Sasuke never did things by halves once he made up his mind, even if it meant putting his life on the line.

About a hundred paces away from the shack, Sasuke stopped, waiting for a response from the Akatsuki. It didn't take long; within a minute, a thick miasma of dark spectral energy started to ooze from the shack. Very deliberately, Sasuke opened up his satchel and took out his two silver knives and the silver cross and placed them on the ground, then placed the satchel down next to them and held his hands in the air. A tendril of miasma that had been creeping suspiciously towards him stopped up short at that, then drew back slightly, swaying a tiny bit in either direction as if debating with itself before slowly oozing back into the shack. The door creaked open, a clear, if not reassuring, invitation.

After swallowing a few times in an attempt to wet his dry throat, Sasuke slowly walked toward the open door of the shack, every instinct and sense he possessed telling him to run away screaming. The sun seemed to be receding behind dark clouds with every step he took, and the gathering darkness was heavy and oppressive. When he reached the door, a sudden panic overtook him and his knees began to shake. For a few hysterical moments, he considered turning tail and running, but the darkness within the shed was like a black hole pulling at him, and he had already crossed the event horizon and was powerless to resist its malevolent might. Almost without meaning to, Sasuke took several steps forward, into the shack, and the door slammed shut behind him.

It took several seconds of blinking for Sasuke's eyes to adjust to the near total darkness inside the shack. Every window had been boarded up and the only illumination came from a small fire that the pyrokinetic blond Sasuke remembered from the previous night - Deidara - was nursing halfheartedly.

"Well, lookie who we have here!" A cruel voice drawled from the far side of the room hidden in shadow. The Akatsuki draugr who had spoken stood up and walked out where the light could illuminate his features. He was a tall, evil-looking man with a cruel smile, hard, glinting eyes, and platinum blond hair. "Now, boys, let me ask you a question: what do they call it when the scared little lamb walks right into the wolf's den?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Tobi knows! Tobi knows!" A different draugr seemed to materialize right behind Sasuke and the childlike voice shouted directly in his ear, jumping him almost enough to leave the floor. Spinning around to see the ghost behind him, Sasuke saw that Tobi was wearing a full face mask that covered all his features except one dark eye, which gave Sasuke a carefully calculated piercing glare.

"They call it dinner," he said, but not in the childlike voice he had spoken with earlier. His tone was deep and rich now, but cold, the hidden sneer made evident in the chilling words, and the sound of it sent shivers down Sasuke's spine.

"That's right, Tobi," the one who had first spoken said, taking a step forward so he was close enough to Sasuke that he could have reached out and touched him if he had wanted to. "Dinner for the hungry wolves… And an exquisite last supper for the little lamb."

Sadistic chuckles sounded from in front and behind of Sasuke, and the beating of his heart kicked up another notch in tempo, to a highland reel. Sasuke tried to hold his head high and fake confidence, but the only thing that did was bring attention to the tremor in his chin caused by his shaking body.

"I want to speak with your leader," he said with false bravado as the two Akatsuki draugrs closed in on him.

"He wants to see our leader? How cute is that?" The platinum blond draugr sneered, palming a silver blade and dragging it along the skin of backs of his hands, which Sasuke noticed was covered in scars that looked self-inflicted.

"Cute… More like _adorable_ … They're so amusing when they think they have control over the situation."

The sharp tip of the knife traced a line down the platinum blond draugr's arms that reddened as a result of silver burn. It had to hurt, but the draugr only grinned wider, if that was even possible. Suddenly, the tip of the knife sunk into his flesh and he twisted it viciously, then held the knife out as if for Sasuke's inspection. A drop of spectral blood dripped off the tip of the silver blade and disappeared before it hit the floor. With a sadistic chuckle at the expression on Sasuke's face, the draugrs ran the blade over his tongue, catching the last few drops of blood in his mouth and staining his teeth red when he smiled again. The whole display made Sasuke shudder violently, which was only intensified when the other draugr, Tobi, blew gently on the nape of his neck and giggled like a small child.

"Hidan likes to play. And he calls me childish."

"Now, now, Tobi, Hidan," another, smoother voice cut in from the shadows - Sasuke recognized it as belonging to the one called Pain - and Tobi and Hidan immediately fell away from him. "You're dishonoring our guest. He gave us the honor of coming to us - unarmed, even - so the least we can do is respond to him in kind."

On some signal unnoticed by Sasuke, Deidara enlarged the fire until it was big enough to illuminate the whole room, and Sasuke found himself directly in the center of a circle of five Akatsuki draugrs. Deidara was sitting cross legged on the floor, tending a fire that Sasuke now saw was sitting in his lap, and next to him, unnoticed until now, Zetsu, the green-haired draugr from the night before, was leaning against the wall. Tobi and Hidan had moved to flank Sasuke, one on either side, and when Sasuke turned around to look at the door he had come through, he saw that Pain was standing directly in front of it, blocking all hope of escape from the hellhole.

With a smile that didn't melt the hardness in his eyes, Pain said, "Welcome to our humble abode, young Uchiha. Won't you sit?"

At a gesture from Pain, a chair slid across the floor and stopped next to Sasuke.

"I'd prefer to stand, but thank you," Sasuke said as politely as he could, then almost yelped when a pair of very strong, very solid hands settled on his shoulders.

"I insist," Pain said, the coldness in his eyes seeping into his voice as Zetsu pushed down on Sasuke's shoulders, causing his knees to buckle and forcing him into the chair.

At another gesture from Pain, a table and four more chairs slid across the floor and took their places in the middle of the room. Sasuke carefully placed his hands in his lap as each of the Akatsuki took a seat around the table except for Deidara, who perched on the table next to Sasuke since it was probably his chair that Sasuke was using. Pain sat directly opposite Sasuke, with Hidan sliding in next to Deidara and Tobi and Zetsu sitting opposite them.

When everyone was sitting down, Hidan started stabbing himself again, Deidara amused himself by placing his fire in the center of the table and pinching bits of flame off to braid them together, and Zetsu immediately closed his eyes when they all say down, leaving, ironically, Tobi as the only one paying visible attention to the interaction going on between Sasuke and Pain.

"Might I be frank with you, Sasuke?" Pain asked, steepling his fingers.

Sasuke gave a nervous swallow and wiped the sweat from his hands off on his pant legs. "I believe that would be in both our interests."

"Then I shall start quite bluntly." Pain spread his hands open in a gesture of openness that was belayed by the hardness in his eyes. "To what … _pleasure_ … do we owe this visit?"

Gripping his hands together to stop them from trembling, Sasuke said, "I wish to discuss the offer you gave me last night."

"Offer?" Hidan stabbed the knife into the table to keep it upright as he leaned back in his chair, wheezing from the force of his maniacal laugh. "Don't try to fool us, kid. You wouldn't work for us if we could give you all the money in the world. You'll have to forgive me if I don't quite believe you."

"Hidan," Pain snapped, and Hidan immediately quieted, then turned and addressed Sasuke. "As my colleague so rudely pointed out, someone of your family stature would never stoop to work with the likes of us. It was rash of us to even consider offering a deal to you. So, the question remains: Why are you here?"

"I wish to discuss the prospect of a deal between the two of us," Sasuke repeated. "Not every member of the Uchiha clan follows their teachings with their whole heart."

At this, the head of every draugr in the room snapped up, and piercing gleams entered their eyes. Emboldened by the reaction he was getting, Sasuke forged ahead.

"Help us or you die," he mused, placing his hands on the table and gripping the edge to hide the fear that was still manifesting itself as a slight trembling. "That's a bit melodramatic, don't you think? And impossible; as my Hyuuga counterpart pointed out last night, you'd never get away with it, so you would never even try. But I might be persuaded to help you do your research- in exchange for something, of course."

"And what do you want in return for your… services?" Pain asked, the gleam in his eye becoming almost tangibly sharp.

"Information." Sasuke gripped one hand into a fist. "You answer my questions, and I'll do your research for you."

"Interesting," Pain mused, running a rough hand along his jaw. "What kind of information do you want? We can't give away the secrets of our existence, you know."

"I don't want the secrets of your existence," Sasuke announced brazenly. "If I'm going to find this Kyubi for you, I'm going to need to know everything you know about it, and I need to know what you're planning to do with it."

"That goes without saying," Pain said with narrowed eyes. "You could hardly be expecting just that. What is it you're really after?"

Here it was, the big reveal. Sasuke tightened his grip on the edge of the table almost imperceptibly. "You knew we spied on you yesterday, so you must know what we overheard. Particularly a name that I recognized." Sasuke took a deep breath before continuing. "I want to know about Orochimaru."

"Ah," Pain almost hissed, triumph in his gaze. "I never thought that mad deserter would be of use to us again. Well, Sasuke, that is one request I can honor. The bets have been placed; let us start the bargaining."


	23. A Game of Wits, A Match of Wills

It was taking every modicum of willpower Neji possessed to keep walking in the opposite direction from the shack on the other side of town that Sasuke would be walking towards this very minute. Gritting his teeth, Neji forced his head low and kept walking, one hands curling into a shaking fist at his side and the other coming up grip the strap of the extra bag Sasuke had leant him.

"You need to relax. Sasuke has everything under control," a voice said next to Neji's ear, and he hunched his shoulders against the chill the words left.

"What are you doing here?" He snapped at the ghost who was floating lazily alongside him.

"I'm keeping you from doing something you'll regret," Shikamaru said languidly, placing his hands behind his head and glancing sideways at Neji.

Suddenly, the aura around the shack thickened so much that Neji could feel it all the way across the town, and he came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Like this," Shikamaru continued as if he had never stopped talking. "Keep going, Neji, or people will stare."

"What am I doing?" Neji whispered, the magnitude of the situation suddenly hitting him. He stumbled into the first alleyway he found, away from prying eyes, and gripped his head in both hands. "I let him go there all alone; he's in there with them all alone, without any weapons… Oh, God, I let him go! I went against everything ever taught to me, everything my family stands for, and abandoned him to those… Those monsters! What have I done? Oh, God, what have I-"

A hand suddenly slapped across Neji's face, shocked him into silence. Shikamaru grabbed Neji by his shoulders and shook him gently, gazing into his stunned eyes.

"You can't help him now," he said, enunciating every word as clearly as possible. "Sasuke made the plan and you agreed to it; it's too late to back out now. If you try to interfere, you'll only make whatever situation he's in worse. All you can do is trust that he can handle himself and do your part. Okay?"

When Neji remained slightly catatonic and didn't answer, Shikamaru shook him a little harder.

"Okay?"

"Okay," Neji whispered. "Thank you. I… I don't know what was wrong with me."

"Don't mention it," Shikamaru said, the creases around his eyes becoming a little softer. "I was an army boy, after all. I know how to snap someone back to reality when they need it."

"Right…"

With a start, Neji realized that Shikamaru's hands were still gripping onto his shoulders like a steady anchor, and he tried to pull back, embarrassed by the pressure. "You can let go of me now. I'm fine."

Neji thought he heard Shikamaru mutter, "That you are," under his breath as he pulled away, but it might have been his imagination.

Turning to the entrance of the alleyway, Neji peered out in the street to see if there had been anyone privy to his almost mental breakdown, but luckily the the street was more or less deserted. He was far outside the "tourist" part of the town, after all, so it wasn't surprising that the only people he saw were a few runners with headphones in far down the street and an old fisherman ghost leaning against the wall of a building a few hundred feet to his left. Taking a deep breath and smoothing his hair back to give the appearance of being put together, Neji made his way out of the alley and once again started to walk down the street.

As if to mock him, the sick aura backed off in intensity, then swelled in power again. Neji gritted his teeth at the feeling of powerlessness that swamped over him, but a gentle hand in the small of his back provided just enough pressure to keep him from stopping dead in the middle of the street again.

"Keep going, Neji."

That hand, that voice, provided enough strength for Neji to keep walking away from the dangers he knew Sasuke was facing. He had a job a to do, one that Neji couldn't help him with, so he had to keep moving. With a conscious effort, he closed his mind off from the sick aura coming from the other side of town.

"Good job. Just keep walking."

Neji flashed a scathing look at the ghost behind him. "I said I'm fine, Shikamaru. I don't need your input."

"Do you want me to leave?" Shikamaru asked pointedly, the challenge clear in his eyes.

Neji was about to retort that, yes, he did want the stuck up ghost to get out of his space, when he realized that he really didn't want Shikamaru to leave. Sniffing a little and sticking his nose in the air, Neji continued without so much as a glance behind him, even when he heard the low chuckle that signified Shikamaru's amusement at winning a round of whatever game Neji hadn't known they were playing.

It wasn't long before their destination came into sight. It was a small church, the picturesque kind often found in quaint towns like Konoha, and just big enough for the congregation of a mid sized town, like Konoha had been back when it had been built. The whole building looked old, from the trimming around the windows to the wrought iron gate, and not just materially; the very style and design of the church gave it a soft feel, like one might get when gazing at an elderly family member.

Nimbly, Neji vaulted over the gate, which was chained shut, and made his way up the gravel path to the door of the church building. When he tried the knob of the door, however, he found, to his dismay, that it was locked.

"It's locked," he remarked almost nonsensically, him mind already going on damage control. Where else, other than a church, would he be able to get a fresh supply of holy water?

"Of course it's locked," Shikamaru replied tersely from behind him. "What were you expecting? This is the twenty-first century; people don't leave doors unlocked anymore, not even church doors, and even the minister only comes in on Sundays."

"Why didn't you mention this earlier?" Neji hissed, turning around to glare at the ghost, who was regarding him nonchalantly. "Now we have to go somewhere else to get holy water, and we just lost half an hour or more walking out to this godforsaken spot!"

"First off, it's not godforsaken; it's a church. Secondly, I'd didn't think it would be a problem." Shikamaru stared at the doorknob intently for a moment or two, then looked away again. "There. It should be open now."

Neji's mouth fell open. "Did you just unlock the door using telekinesis?"

"Of course I did. Why else would I be here?"

A scarlet blush started to creep over Neji's cheeks, and he chose to ignore the question in favor of pursuing the moral aspect of the situation. "You can't just do that! It's trespassing!"

With a sigh, Shikamaru flicked his wrist toward the door, and there was a click and it swung inwards. "It's not like we're doing anything wrong. We're just going to grab some holy water and leave."

"Yes, we are doing something wrong! We are breaking and entering, and into a church, no less! That is prosecutable under law!"

"So are a lot of other stupid things, like leaving up Christmas decorations up after February. And if you don't believe me, look it up. It is an actual law in Maine that nobody follows." Shikamaru floated a few feet inside the church, then turned around and raised a single eyebrow at Neji. "Are you coming or not?"

Grumbling, Neji stepped inside the church. "It doesn't matter to you. You're dead; you can't get in trouble with the law."

"This is turning out to be more troublesome than it's worth," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "Look, I can just go if you don't want me here."

"No!" Without thinking, Neji reached out and grabbed for Shikamaru's wrist, half thinking that his hand would pass right through, but to his surprise, he found a perfectly solid limb. Shikamaru gave Neji's grip an unhurried glance before looking back up at him and raising a single eyebrow, a motion at which Neji flushed, but did not let go.

"I mean, you can stay," he said with difficulty. "I want you to stay."

A smirk broke out across Shikamaru's face and then disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving Neji to wonder if he really had seen it or just imagined it. Again, he was left with the strange sensation that he had just lost a round of a game that he hadn't remembered agreeing to play or knew all the rules to.

"You should've just said so in the first place," Shikamaru drawled, becoming incorporeal so that Neji's hand dropped through his wrist and placing both hands behind his head as he started floating towards the pulpit. Flashing a piercing look over his shoulder, he quipped, "You gonna stand there all day?"

Muttering about stupid genius ghosts and their insufferable attitudes, Neji followed Shikamaru up the aisles of the church to the front. Here, there was a small table covered with a silken tablecloth sporting two unlit candles and a plate set up in preparation for communion, an old-looking wooden pulpit, and a small electronic keyboard plugged into an outlet on the far side of the church by way of an orange extension cord. The bright orange spot or color looked very out of place in the aura of quaint backwoods religion, giving the church a modern, lived-in feel. Squinting a little in the dim light let in by the slightly grimy windows, Neji cast his gaze about the front part of the church and the first few pews.

"You have any idea where they would keep the holy water?"

"Not a clue," Shikamaru drawled, peaking behind the pulpit. "Hey, look: I found the communion wine."

"Most churches use grape juice now," Neji corrected automatically. "What do you mean, you don't know? Why are you here then?"

"Grape juice? Really? Well, that just goes to show how long it's been since I've been in a church. Being dead kinda takes the buzz outa that for ya." Shikamaru gave a lazy shrug. "And I was just here to make sure you got here and to unlock the door for you. I did offer to leave."

"Son of a-" Neji started to swear before he caught himself. "Well, now that you're here, the least you can do is help me look."

"Meh." Shikamaru made an annoyed face. "Troublesome."

But he assisted Neji in his search, flicking open the doors to some locked cabinets they found along the back wall of the church and even peering into a few of them while Neji was sifting through the contents of another. There wasn't much in the cabinets, mostly old family bibles and church records, and Neji started to shove them back when one old book fell from his grasp and landed open on the floor. It was a handwritten book of important dates and records for the church starting in the 1920s, and he was about to snap it shut and put it back where he found it when a name halfway down the page jumped out at him.

 _Nara, Shikamaru, son of Shikaku and Yoshino Nara, born April 12, 1922, baptized April 16, 1922. -Minister Senju_

So this had been the church Shikamaru had attended back when he was alive. It made sense; after all, this was the only church in the area, and people back then had been expected to regularly attend church services. All of a sudden, the words Shikamaru had spoken earlier floated back into Neji's mind: _Well, that just goes to show how long it's been since I've been in a church. Being dead kinda takes the buzz outa that for ya._ It had been years - decades even, maybe - since Shikamaru had been in here.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

The voice, coming from directly behind Neji, jumped him, and he guiltily slammed the book shut and shoved it back on the shelf. "Nothing!"

Even without looking at his face, Neji could tell that Shikamaru would be raising a single eyebrow at him. "You were staring at it an awful long time for it to be nothing."

"I said it was nothing!" Neji snapped, spinning around to glare at the ghost who had no reason to be looking as smug as he was. "Did you find the holy water or not?"

"Not yet," Shikamaru drawled, an amused look in his eyes.

As if on cue, another book from the shelf Neji had been looking at fell to the ground.

"You should probably pick that up," Shikamaru said in a toneless voice, turning away from Neji.

Scowling, Neji turned back around and bent over to pick up the book as Shikamaru floated away, but his hand froze a hair's breadth away from touching it when he was struck with the sudden realization that this book should not have fallen from the shelf. He recognized it: it was one that had been tucked safely away between two other books, both of which were still sitting securely on the shelf, so why had it fallen? Physics simply didn't work like that.

As his eyes flicked restlessly over the page it had fallen open to, Neji felt his body go cold.

 _Today we prayed for the safe return of a son of this congregation, Shikamaru Nara, who was drafted for the war in Europe. -Minister Senju, August 16, 1942_

Physics was not that convenient, either.

Neji snuck a sly glance behind him at Shikamaru, who was facing the other direction and looking through another cabinet, all the while exuding an aura of innocence. With a sigh, he looked back at the book on the floor and pick it up by the cover. A section of pages flopped over, revealing another entry.

 _Today, we grieved the loss of one of the best and brightest young men of our congregation, Shikamaru Nara, who was killed in action in Alsace, France in the battle against German forces. -Minister Senju, January 7, 1945_

Physics was definitely not that convenient.

From across the room, Shikamaru said in a quiet voice, "I found the holy water."

Quickly shoving the book back on the shelf and slamming the cabinet door closed, Neji made his way over to where Shikamaru was floating in front of an open cabinet, wondering how he was supposed to feel after learning something like that. It wasn't as if he didn't know that Shikamaru was dead - he was, quite obviously, a ghost - and the phantom had already told Neji that he had fought in World War 2, so what was tearing him up inside?

Perhaps it was the fact that Shikamaru had died overseas, and it was the strength of his love for his home that brought him back to Konoha after his death. Or perhaps it was the way the numbers added up: Shikamaru had been only twenty when he had been shipped off to Europe to fight, and had survived two and a half years of the hardships of war only to die a few short months before his twenty third birthday, and a mere six months before the war ended for good. Or perhaps it was the echoes of the words that haunted him from last night, when Neji had learned more about the ghost than he ever thought he'd care to.

 _You know nothing of how I was promoted to an officer's position after I proved my worth, of how I lead my squadron to victory after bloody victory, or of the blood that rests on my hands._

Shikamaru stepped back from the cabinet and gestured to a vial within. "Go for it."

"But that's stealing!" Neji hissed.

"What do you think we've been doing this whole time?" Shikamaru gave an unconcerned shrug. "Besides, we need it more, right?"

"Hmph." Neji pulled the mason jar out of the bag Sasuke had pressed on him after he had reluctantly agreed to the plan. "I still have serious ethical reservations about this."

"Try not to think about it," Shikamaru advised. "Would you leave without it after coming this far? What would Sasuke say?"

Neji gave the vial one last long look before letting out a sigh of resignation. "I suppose. But I'm not happy about it."

"You don't have to be happy. You just have to do it." Shikamaru turned away and leaned against the cabinet, folding his arms and closing his eyes with a sigh.

Weighing his morals against his need one last time, Neji gave in at last and reached out and grabbed the vial of holy water, noticing as he did so the gleam that entered the slit in Shikamaru's closed eyelids that he was slyly watching him from. With a frown, wondering, not for the first time, exactly what game Shikamaru was playing, Neji unscrewed the top of the mason jar and the cap of the vial, and poured about two-thirds of the holy water from the vial into the jar, which filled the jar up about halfway.

"You're not going to take all of it?" Shikamaru drawled in a bored tone, more an observation than a question. "Why?"

Neji's fist tightened around the vial of holy water as he replaced it in the cabinet. "Some will be more likely to notice. If I only take some of it, the person in charge of this may not notice, but if I take all of it, they will definitely notice."

"Bullshit."

"Excuse me?!"

Neji spun around to stare, slightly horrified, at Shikamaru. He had never heard the phantom swear like that before, and it was jarring.

"Bullshit," Shikamaru repeated, taking a step towards Neji with a hard glint in his eyes. "Don't lie to me. They wouldn't be able to track you down for this, and you know it. The real reason, now: why aren't you taking all of it?"

Neji bowed his head slightly to put the jar back in the bag Sasuke had leant him, and a section of his hair came free from the loose ponytail he had tied it back in that morning and fell in front of his face, hiding his expression. "I just thought… What if someone else uses that holy water for protection, like people like Sasuke and me do? Taking it all could potentially put someone at a disadvantage that could cost them something. I couldn't do that."

Clap.

The sharp sound made Neji jerk his head up abruptly just in time to see Shikamaru bring his hands together again in a slow clap.

"Bravo, Neji," he said, and it was impossible for Neji to tell whether he was being sarcastic or not. "Such a moral compass. You must be proud of yourself. You see, an army man like me learns to take what he needs to survive and damn all the rest, but you just potentially gave up your life for someone else's."

A cold shiver went down Neji spine as if he had just swallowed an uncomfortably large chunk of ice. He hadn't thought of it that way when he had done it, but having holy water on hand could sometimes shift the balance between life and death in a fight with a dangerous ghost. Leaving some for someone else could mean that he might run out somewhere crucial, and that could have disastrous consequences. Almost subconsciously, Neji's grip tightened around the strap of the bag, and his gaze flickered back towards the cabinet. Should he take the rest of it? It wasn't that much, and the chances of there being someone who actually used it against ghosts was very low…

All on a sudden, Neji noticed the way Shikamaru was regarding him, with eyes too bright for casual observation, and his blood heated. That damned ghost was testing him, to see if he really would leave the rest of the holy water once he knew the potential ramifications of his actions. Well, Neji had lost to the arrogant phantom several times now, and maybe more without even knowing it, so he was damn well sure that he wasn't going to lose this time!

The only question was, which was the right course of action?

Shikamaru could be daring Neji to stay with his morals, and his little speech might be a way of seeing how far he would stick to them. But then again, he could be goading him into taking the rest of the holy water in order to see if his logical brain would overcome his sense of morals. There was no clear winning option that Neji could see. If he took the holy water, Shikamaru might think him someone who goes back on their word, but if he didn't take it, he might think him illogical. Neji's eyes narrowed into slits as he regarded Shikamaru in tight silence for a few seconds, trying to glean what the right course of action was, but the phantom kept his expression as tightly closed off as an undiscovered island is to the outside world.

Finally, Neji accepted that he wasn't going to be able to figure out what to do just by studying Shikamaru, so he turned his gaze to the still open cabinet and the mostly empty vial of holy water within. It seemed to mock him in it it's stillness, begging him to grasp it again and pushing him away at the same time.

The only way to 'win' this, Neji realized, was to forget all about Shikamaru and try to decide on his own what to do. All of a sudden, the whole thing seemed ridiculous, like one of those dumb moral questions people asked: _If there were three people standing on a train track and a train was coming towards them, and you had the option to pull a lever that turned the train onto another set of tracks, would you do it? If there was one person standing on that other track, would you still do it? What if that one person was the most important person in the world to you?_

Neji hated those types of questions, mostly because they tried to force situations into black and white and shades of grey, when they really were made up of so many more colors. The first time that particular question had been posed to Neji, he had answered with: _only idiots stand on a train track they know is in use, and if they are stupid enough that they don't notice a train coming at them, they deserve to be taken out of the gene pool. That's why the Darwin Award was invented._

This question, too, was not black and white and grey, but a myriad of colors. There was a chance that the holy water was only ever used during sermons, or that Neji would never need even as much as he'd taken. The only thing he could do was guess and hope whatever he did came out alright in the end.

Firmly, Neji closed the cabinet door on the vial of holy water and straightened his shoulders. "Then I'll just have to make sure not to run out of it, then," he said with a confidence he didn't really feel, then turned and started walking back out of the church without waiting for Shikamaru to react.

He was almost out the door when he felt a spectral hand ghost over his shoulder blades and a ghostly breath stir the hairs at the nape of his neck.

"I respect your selflessness," Shikamaru whispered quickly into Neji's ear, then floated through him, causing a swooping sensation in his gut, and stood waiting at the door.

Meaning, Neji had won that round.

Not wanting to show the phantom how much that had meant to him, Neji hid the smile threatening to sneak through his cool exterior and walked through the open door, closing it firmly behind him. He heard a click as he stepped away from it, which he assumed was Shikamaru relocking the door, and he inclined his head slightly in thanks.

After first checking around him to make sure there was no one who had witnessed his illegal act of breaking and entering into a church - which he probably would never be able to forgive himself for - Neji walked calmly down the gravel path to the front gate and vaulted over it again. Trying to look like he had a right to be there, he started walking with purpose in his steps, then slow led down as he realized he wasn't sure where he should go.

"You lost?" Shikamaru chuckled from behind him, and Neji hunched his shoulders as the only indication that he'd heard him.

"I'm not lost," he hissed from between clenched teeth. "I know the way back to the Hokage, I just can't go there right now. The way back passes too close to the shack, and Sasuke's still in there."

"Is he alright?" Though Shikamaru tried to hide it, there was still some concern evident in his voice.

"He's fine - I hope," Neji said grimly. "He's still in there, but there hasn't been any big changes in the aura, so as far as I can tell, they're just talking."

Shikamaru cocked his head to one side, a thoughtful expression gracing his features. "How much longer do you think they'll talk?"

Shrugging, Neji answered, "It's impossible to tell, but I think it will take some time yet. The auras of the Akatsuki aren't belligerent, but they aren't exactly peaceful either."

"Can you sense Sasuke's aura? How's he doing?"

But Neji shook his head. "I can't sense humans like I can sense the aura of spirits. I know he's there and alive, but everything else is too fuzzy to make out."

"So…" Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets. "You have some time before you have to go back?"

"I guess you could say that…" Neji frowned a little, scratching his chin. "I was just planning on staying around here until I felt him move, then go back to the Hokage."

"I have a better idea."

Without warning, a very corporeal hand grabbed Neji's wrist and started pulling him along the sidewalk, and Neji had no choice but to stumble along after the insistent ghost. To any passerby, it would have looked strange, a teenage boy stumbling down the street, pulled along by an unseen force.

"Where are you taking me?"

"It's a secret," Shikamaru called over his shoulder, an uncharacteristic grin spreading across his face.

The phantom's energy was infectious, and Neji couldn't keep a matching grin from spreading across his own face. "It's too troublesome to tell me, you mean."

A sudden, crystalline laugh exploded out of Shikamaru, shocking Neji. "That, too."

They moved in silence for a while, until the houses and buildings faded from sight and trees took their place, becoming thicker and thicker until they blocked the town from view. Here they slowed their pace a little, but Shikamaru still didn't let go of Neji's wrist, as if he was afraid Neji would turn back if he wasn't pulling him forward.

Shikamaru changed direction abruptly and pulled Neji along a dirt road that came off the main asphalt road and was barely wide enough for two cars to drive side by side on. As the minutes progressed and they got further and further from civilization, the road narrowed until it was barely big enough for one car, but there were still multiple pairs of ruts in the dirt.

"Locals use it for 4-wheeling and Snowmobiling in the winter," Shikamaru said by way of explanation to Neji's questioning look.

As they went around a corner, the area widened into a circle of crushed rock with picnic benches off to the side. At the opposite end of the area from where Neji and Shikamaru had entered was a large sign that proclaimed: _Welcome to the Konoha Nature Trail Network!_

Neji's eyebrows rose in incredulity. "A nature trail? You think we should take a hike?"

"Not quite." Shikamaru dropped Neji's wrist and floated ahead of him, heading toward a portion of woods that definitely did not have a trail. "This way."

"What way? There's nothing there!"

But Shikamaru faded through the outermost trees and woodland debris, disappearing like a phantom in the mist - pun intended - and leaving Neji to gape almost senselessly after him.

Seriously, what was with this ghost? He aids Neji in breaking and entering into a church, provokes him into stealing something from the same church, then brings him here and expects him to follow through the woods on some kind of pointless jaunt. Well, Neji wasn't going to do it. He was not a nature person, and there wasn't anyone who could convince him otherwise. Besides, he wasn't dressed for it, with his meticulously clean suit jacket and his footwear that would be more at home squeaking across a linoleum floor than traipsing about the woods.

"Shikamaru, I'm not going in there! There are bugs and ticks and dirt in the woods, and I'm not going to take part in any of it."

A chuckle emanated from the shadows of the woods, the only indication that Shikamaru had heard him. The artificial dark from between the trees began to grow, trying to entice Neji with its dappled pools of light and unlight.

Suddenly a little nervous to be alone, Neji took a step backwards, towards the nearest picnic table. "Shikamaru?"

"Follow me."

"But I don't want to," Neji said petulantly, stubbornly folding his arms across his chest.

"Follow me, Neji."

"Why? What's so special about this place?" Neji argued, gesturing to the woods at large. "Why do you want me to go with you?"

"Just follow me, Neji. Or I'll go without you." The voice trailed off, as if the speaker was moving further into the woods.

Neji felt a cold thrill go up his spine, though he tried to deny it. Shikamaru wouldn't really leave him here, would he?

As the seconds ticked by and there were no more sounds from the shadows, Neji started to get worried. "Shikamaru?" He called out uncertainly, moving unconsciously towards the forest edge. "Are you still there?"

When there was no reply, Neji realized that Shikamaru had, indeed, left him, and the knowledge started a fire roaring inside him. "You left me, you sonofa-"

Realizing that he had been about to swear, Neji clapped a hand over his mouth just in time to stop the word from coming out. He had never sworn all his life, not at anyone or anything, and he wouldn't let Shikamaru have the pleasure of being the person to break that streak. Glaring at the shadows beneath the trees, Neji moved closer to the treeline, wondering if Shikamaru really had left him, or if he was just pretending.

He really had left, Neji finally decided. Shikamaru was far too lazy to play that particular game when he knew Neji would just follow him if he left. Curse that ghost and his powers of psychological perception! If there was one thing Neji hated above all others, it was being manipulated, and he had the feeling Shikamaru had already done it to him several times today without him noticing.

With a sigh and a great feeling of trepidation, Neji took another step towards the edge of the woods. That distinct line between clearing and forest was like the border between two worlds for him, and just as nerve wracking and uncertain as a rabbit hole or a looking glass. A feeling he refused to acknowledge as fear filled him as the shadows seemed to reach toward him, seeking to pull him into the darkness. He didn't want to lose control and be pulled somewhere he didn't belong, but if he went of his own volition, he wasn't losing control. Gritting his teeth and taking one final deep breath, Neji fisted his hands to stop the trembling he wouldn't admit was affecting him and plunged into the woods.

The first thing Neji noticed was that the woods were not as dark as they appeared from the outside. It was dim, and there were shadows, but they took the form of dappled patterns of light and dark rather than pools of pure blackness. The low hanging branches of small trees and ground debris sought him and caught at his clothing, doing their best to keep him in place as he tried his best to fight his way forward.

"Shikamaru!" He snapped, pulling his pant leg free from a raspberry plant that decided to get too attached. "Don't you dare just go off and leave me behind!"

"Are you coming?" The voice echoed teasingly from up ahead.

"Wait up! I can't just float through things like you!" Neji angrily batted a small, whippy branch out of his way, and it snapped back and hit him in the face. "Mother-!" He started to swear again, but cut himself off just in time. "Shikamaru! Where are you taking me?"

"Just keep walking towards the sound of my voice," Shikamaru called from just out of sight.

"How much further?" Neji tried to bat another small branch out of his way, and it, too, sprung back and smacked him in the face.

"Not much. You're almost there."

Muttering a few choice words under his breath, Neji pushed aside one last branch, and abruptly found himself at the edge of a small clearing.

The first word that entered Neji's mind as he gazed around the clearing was _beautiful_. He was a city boy born and bred, and had always preferred the bustling metropolis to the calming effects of nature, but there was something about the clearing that captured his attention and refused to let it go.

The ground was dappled in patches of shade and light, patterned in the shapes of the canopy far above, and carpeted with a thick layer of soft moss. All around the border of the clearing, large, drooping ferns glistening with crystalline dew drops brushed their dainty curling tips against the velvet green carpet as if bowing to a noble lord.

Slowly, almost afraid to marr the glorious emerald carpet with the dents of his footsteps, Neji walked to the center of the clearing, where Shikamaru was floating peacefully, his face turned upwards towards the sky and his toes barely brushing against the moss.

"For some reason, the sky always looks a little bit brighter from in here," he said a little dreamily, reaching one hand up towards the sky. "The blue reflects off the clouds and filters down through the leaves like a rain of sapphires. It's truly beautiful here."

The light danced across the arm Shikamaru had proffered to the heavens, and something glinted in the vibrant sapphire rain, drawing Neji's eye. It was a silver bracelet, like the one he had noticed Naruto Wearing the day before, but hadn't thought to comment on.

"What's the bracelet for?"

The words seemed to shake Shikamaru out of whatever trance the sky had put him in, and his gaze refocused on the slim silver chain adorning his wrist.

"Oh, this," he said as if suddenly remembering it was there. "I'd almost forgot I had it on, I'm so used to it now. It's a bracelet made out of a special kind of silver alloy that interacts with spirits but doesn't burn us. Sasuke gave them to all of us when he revealed our presence to Kakashi and the others."

"He gave away the secrets of his family to people like that?! Is he crazy!?" Neji stood agast, and the beauty of the clearing began to dim in his eyes.

"They had him backed into a corner," Shikamaru said shortly. "They thought we were demons and tried to get him to exorcise us. He didn't have a choice if he wanted to protect us. Also, kindly refrain from shouting when you're in this place. Raised voices do it more harm than good."

Quieter, Neji apologized, "Sorry." Around him, the clearing retook its former beauty, though it felt slightly strained, as if the very air was waiting in fear to another outburst.

"That's better." Shikamaru allowed his body to tilt back until he was almost horizontal, parallel to the ground and hovering about a foot away from it. "Come here."

"Why?" Neji asked, but moved toward him all the same.

Shikamaru's eyes were closed, but when Neji stood next to his head, his shadow covered the ghost's face and he cracked one eye open to gaze irritably up at the human blocking his light. "Because the sky looks better from down here. Sit, and get out of my view."

"But I'll get my pants dirty-"

"Do you see any dirt here?" Shikamaru snapped irritably. "It's just moss, and that's just about as clean as it gets here. Just sit your ass down and stop complaining."

Biting his tongue against a retort, Neji sat down on the grass next to the phantom and tilted his head back, savoring the feeling of the sun on his face. To his surprise, the moss was quite a comfortable seat and didn't feel at all like he had expected sitting on a forest floor to feel like.

"Lay down," Shikamaru urged, settling his spectral body against the moss. "You can see the sky better that way."

"Why are we looking at the sky?" Neji asked as he did what he was bid, laying flat against the moss next to Shikamaru. The ghost, though he must have been at least twenty two or twenty three when he had died, looked about the same age as the other phantoms - in his late teens - and Neji's tall-for-his-age body stretched several inches past him on both ends.

"We're going to look at the clouds."

"Look at the clouds? Why?"

"Because it's a quiet and peaceful activity, and God know you could use some peace right now."

Neji let out a little laugh. "True. What exactly does this activity entail?"

A delicate snort echoed from beside him. "We look at the clouds."

"And?" Neji asked with a frown.

"There's no and about it. We just look at the clouds. We can make them into shapes if you want."

"Make them into shapes? How?"

"Like this." Shikamaru raised one hand up to point at a small cloud peeking through the branches of the trees. "I think that one looks like a fishhook."

Neji stared at the cloud for a few second before giving up. "I don't see it."

"It's almost sideways. Tilt your head a little."

Feeling a little foolish, Neji tilted his head to the side, almost knocking his temple into the spectral one beside him. "Oh, there it is!" he exclaimed, surprised that the cloud was suddenly no longer a cloud. "I see it!"

"Good," Shikamaru said next to him with a laugh. "Now try to find one yourself."

"Find one myself?" Neji repeated a little dubiously. "I don't know…"

"Just try," Shikamaru encouraged, and Neji swallowed nervously and pointed up to the sky.

"Well, I think that one looks like… like… like... sheep wool."

"Sheep wool? Is that the best you can do?" Shikamaru scoffed.

"Fine," Neji snapped, refocusing his attention on the offending sheep-like cloud. "It looks like a saxophone."

"A saxophone?"

"Yes, a saxophone! A tenor!" Neji sat up and folded his arms across his chest, sending a glare to the ghost next to him. "You know, you didn't have to ask me! You could just play your little game by yourself!"

Shikamaru didn't look at him, but Neji suddenly felt an invisible hand pushing him firmly back on the ground. "I can see it now," he said quietly, tilting his head gently to the side. "It does look like a saxophone. How'd you come up with that?"

"I actually… play the saxophone," Neji admitted.

"Really?"

Folding his arms over his chest, Neji muttered, "Well, you don't have to act so surprised about it."

"Are you any good?"

"Of course I'm good!" Neji snapped, affronted. "I'm a Hyuuga! We are never not good at anything we do!"

"Of course," Shikamaru chuckled gently from beside him. "How foolish of me to ask."

Though the words were kind in definition, Neji got the feeling that he was being mocked a little. "Now what?"

"Well, I pointed out a cloud, then you did, so it's my turn again." Shikamaru pointed to another cloud half hidden behind an overhanging branch. "I think that one looks like a rook."

"The giant bird?" Neji asked with a frown.

"No, the chess piece. The castle."

Neji tilted his head to the side again, and the cloud shape came into focus. "It does look like a chess piece. Hey, that reminds me. Why do you like to play chess so much? I've been meaning to ask you for a while."

Shikamaru didn't respond at first, and the silence that stretched between them was so long that Neji thought the ghost might have slipped away when he wasn't looking, but when he turned his head to look over at the phantom, he was still there, his face overtaken in an expression of concentration.

"That one looks like a tank," he finally replied, gesturing to a different cloud.

Propping himself up on his elbow, Neji sent an unamused glare at the ghost laying next to him. "I asked you a question, Shikamaru."

"And I'm answering it," he snapped halfheartedly, and Neji felt himself getting pushed down by an invisible force again. "Just pay attention, will you? Do you see it?"

"Yes, I see it," Neji answered testily, still not seeing the point.

"And that one's an AK47, and that one's a gas mask, and that one's a grenade." Shikamaru swung his arm up, pointing to one cloud after another. "If I look harder, I can see other things - a cat, a bear, and an oni mask - but that's what I first see. These are the bloody instruments of war, the tools I was most accustomed to in my life immediately before I died. I suppose that's why I can't really let go of them. Chess represents the art of war, but it's just a game. In a game, no one ever gets hurt."

The sunlight filtering through canopy was warm against Neji's face, but Shikamaru's words made him feel cold. "People can be hurt by games, too."

"Not if you're the one who writes the rules."

Neji turned his head to the side to look at Shikamaru watching the sky, and was unexpectedly confronted with his dark gaze boring into his own. It seemed to be trying to communicate something, but what he was trying to say, Neji couldn't tell. Eventually, Shikamaru looked back up at the sky, but Neji kept watching him.

"That one looks like a big mustache, don't you think?"

"Mmm-hmm," Neji answered, but didn't turn his gaze up to the clouds.

"And that one… perhaps a tree? No it look more like a spade. What do you think?"

"Yes," Neji breathed out, his eyes still locked on Shikamaru. The light was drifting over the ghost's face, shining on him and through him in equal measure, and the translucent quality it have his skin was more eye-catching than the sapphire rain or emerald carpet or the crystalline dew.

Softly, Shikamaru continued his analysis of the clouds, but Neji stopped listening to the words he was saying and focused instead on his tone of voice and the way it washed over him like the light was washing over Shikamaru: brightly, and just as warm. The lull of Shikamaru's voice was like the soft drone of honey bees mixed with the roughness of a footstep on a gravel path and the deep, rich tones of a cello. It was a drug, the sound of that voice, and Neji suddenly found himself thinking that he could listen to it forever. The moss underneath him was softly inviting, the sun above was warm and comforting, and his own personal symphony was playing him a lullaby. What greater pleasure in life could a man ask for?

Almost without meaning to, Neji allowed his eyelids to softly close and his mind to, finally, find some peace in dreaming of nothing.

When Neji was curled up asleep on the grass, Shikamaru couldn't help but compare him to the fey-children and Druids of legend. His hair, longer than modern society's norm, his slim build that gave him an air of youth he didn't really possess, his pale white eyes, covered as they were with dark, fluttering lashes - these features all added to the illusion, and Shikamaru was loath to break it. When Neji woke, this Druid, this fairy-boy, would be gone, and he would return to his world of suit jackets and stilted English, a world where Shikamaru had very little right to belong.

Gently, so as not to wake his sleeping fairy, Shikamaru used his telekinesis to pick up the jacket Neji had discarded and fold it into a pillow-like shape, then slip it under Neji's head. He stirred for a second when the rough material slid past his cheek, and Shikamaru froze in his actions, but he settled down again without waking, fingers automatically clutching the fabric of the jack next to his cheek like a small child clutching a stuffed animal or favorite blanket for a nap.

There was something about the way Neji's hair, escaping from his ponytail as it was, was drifting over his face and stirring with every breath he took that hooked Shikamaru and refused to let him look away. That breath was life, pushing the delicate strands around like ropes of seaweed in an ocean current, or fronds of a willow tree swaying in the wind.

What was it about this fairy-boy that drew him in? Paradoxically, every piece of information Shikamaru revealed about himself helped him better understand Neji. Almost unthinkingly, Shikamaru reached out his hand to brush the backs of his fingers against Neji's cheek, only to have them ghost through his skin, as insubstantial as mist.

Right. Shikamaru was dead. Had been for fifty years.

The abrupt return of reality was like a harsh slap to his face. Shikamaru had met some ghosts who had forgotten their deaths in his time, but never before had he let it take him over. He was just glad that none of his friends had been there to witness his embarrassing slip.

What was he doing? Sharing his special place, and with a human, no less. What had come over him? This wasn't him; this wasn't the man he had carefully crafted himself to be. Where had that mind he had always prided himself on gone?

Far away, Shikamaru sensed the stirring of evil auras, then one clean spark, still untainted, expunging itself from their viscous grip. So Sasuke was finished with his stunt meeting. It was a miracle that boy was still alive, but he was a very good actor, and he had said that he had an ace in dealing with them, but had refused to tell anyone other than Neji. Naruto had been livid at that - that boy needed everything given to him at once; no sense of self-control at all, honestly - but Sasuke had insisted. Well, Shikamaru could probably find out if he wanted to badly enough, but he was just too lazy. And there was something else occupying him at the moment.

Glancing over at the peacefully sleeping Druid next to him, Shikamaru briefly considered waking him, then decided against it. The other phantoms had already arrived back at the Hokage; let them deal with Sasuke. His fairy-boy was tired, and he deserved to sleep.

Carefully, so as not to wake the sleeping fairy beside him, Shikamaru settled down next to Neji and gently brought their faces closer together, close enough that their noses were almost touching. The hair that was drifting across Neji's face was stirred by a gentle breeze, and Shikamaru was suddenly and unexpectedly swamped with a feeling of jealousy that such a timid personified breath of air had the right to touch his fairy when he himself did not possess that right. Unthinkingly, his hand trailed up to brush the hair away from Neji's brow, and he shivered at the touch.

Suddenly, Shikamaru remembered a conversation between the two of them, when he had dared Neji into playing strip chess with him, and a question that had never really been answered.

" _You're not used to any kind of physical contact, are you?"_

At the time, he had assumed the silence that followed to be an affirmation, and he didn't doubt his deductions now, but it was only now that he started wondering why. Neji was an attractive man - there was no denying that - and yet he seemed completely out of touch with himself and how others viewed him. He was overly formal, socially inept, and condescending of the contact of other people. What had happened to force him into this persona?

Shikamaru gently traced his hand from Neji's brow down the side of his cheek and across his shoulder, then trailed his fingers down his arm. Neji shivered at the contact, but didn't flinch away, so Shikamaru decided to push his luck and curled his hand over Neji's. To his surprise, Neji caught his hand and laced their fingers together, all without waking up.

Well. That was a surprise. So Neji spurned physical contact outwardly, but inwardly craved it. He was probably starved for the contact of another person, any other person. But Shikamaru wouldn't let anyone else put their hands on his fairy.

With a contented smile that bordered on self satisfied, Shikamaru tapped his forehead against the sleeping Neji's and closed his eyes. He had been doing nothing in Konoha for the past fifty-odd years; a few more hours doing the same wouldn't hurt him.


	24. A Web of Wits

Sasuke wasn't sure how he got back from the shack to the Hokage, or how late it was when he left, but he knew it was precisely 6:34 when he shut the door behind him, because Sakura tackled him into a bear hug and knocked him to the ground, since his line of sight was focused on the face of the large, old clock in the hall, too tired to even shift his gaze.

"Ohmygosh, Sasuke! Where have you been? We tried waiting for you last night, but it got late and you didn't come back and we all had to go home, and then Tenten came in to work today and said she had seen you last night, but didn't know if you found what you were looking for and wouldn't tell us anything! And then you didn't show up for breakfast or lunch today, and I was getting so worried!"

That's right; Sasuke had woken up after noon and gone straight over to the shack closely after, since his stomach had been too tightly nervous to eat, so he hadn't eaten anything in almost twenty four hours. All of a sudden, his stomach decided to remind him of that fact with a loud growl, causing Sakura to give a little giggle and jump off him.

"But I'll bet that you'll be wanting some supper, and I'm your girl for that! Just don't worry me like again," she said with a wink before scampering off to the kitchen, leaving Sasuke still slightly stunned on the floor.

Taking pity on him, Choji, who was manning the reception desk, left his post and extended a hand to Sasuke. "And you've now learned firsthand why we try to avoid either angering or worrying the monster known as Sakura. Don't worry: there shouldn't be any after effects other than extra-large portions at your meal tonight and a mother hen-like pink haired maniac fluttering around you for the next few days, but I reckon if you can deal with pissed-off ghosts, you can deal with anything Sakura throws at you."

Sasuke could only nod dumbly in response, and started taking a wooden step forward when Choji caught his shoulder and peered into his eye in concern. "Hey, are you okay? I mean, really okay?"

Shaking his head slightly to pull himself back into reality, Sasuke brushed Choji's hand off his shoulder and st"oood up a little straighter. "I'm fine, thank you."

Choji pulled back a little, looking slightly hurt. "You don't have to be so formal. It's just me."

But Sasuke brushed past him without another word, leaving him standing bemused and looking almost betrayed behind him. When he entered the dining hall, Sakura was hurrying towards him with a plate of food.

"So, Sasuke," she started chattering again as soon as she saw him, "Did you find what you were looking for last night? The thing that you dropped? What was it, anyway? It must have been pretty important for you to have gone out that late a night to find it-"

"I'm tired," Sasuke cut her off shortly, grabbing the plate from Sakura's hands before she could even set it down on the table. "I'd like to eat in my room, alone. I'll bring the plate back down when I'm done."

Like Choji, Sakura's eyes immediately filled with uncertainty and hurt, and she pulled back slightly. "Oh-! Okay… Just bring it back… whenever you're ready… I guess…" She trailed off as Sasuke abruptly turned his back to her and started walking away.

Sasuke's foot was barely touching the bottom step of the stairs when whispers, quietly but tensely hushed, exploded out from behind him, but he tried to pay them no mind. He was acting strangely; they were bound to be curious. It was as simple as that. And yet, he was hurt inside, but by more than the whispers. It was what he had learned that had caused his strange behavior that hurt him most of all.

Three spectral presences were waiting for him at the top of the stairs, but he ignored their questioning looks and walked through them, leaving them to stare after him and trail along behind uncertainly. When he reached his room, he left the door open for them in a clear invitation but didn't look back. Setting his plate down on the desk, he discovered that he had lost his appetite, and he slung his satchel over his shoulder and unto the back of the desk chair.

Behind him, the door swung shut, and Sasuke turned around to lock gazes with the three phantoms who stood there. Shino and Kiba were hanging back slightly, the backs of their fingers just barely grazing together, to allow Naruto to step forward and take the center stage.

"Well?"

A mocking half smile crept across Sasuke's face as he passed a hand over his eyes. "Well, I made it out alive. That's just about the most I can say."

"What did they do to you?!" Naruto demanded, balling his hands into fists.

"Nothing," Sasuke said with a hoarse laugh. "They did absolutely fucking nothing to me. Which just made it worse. Their auras were so thick… so black… I wasn't sure if I could make it out untainted. If they had fought me, I could have fought back. But we just sat there and talked for hours, and every minute made me fall a little more."

Shino and Kiba exchanged a quick glance before Kiba stepped forward. "Fall?"

"Into the blackness," Sasuke intoned in a dead voice, letting his head fall forward to rest in his hands. "If our auras go black, our minds go as well. I- I've seen it happen before."

He silently begged Naruto to understand without him having to say it, that Itachi's aura was the one that had gone dark, but he didn't want to relive that particular memory by telling it again. Not now.

The silence after this statement stretched out for a long time before Sasuke pulled his hands away from his face and looked up, watching the expressions of the three phantoms but refusing to meet their gazes. Shino and Kiba both wore sympathetic masks, but it was Naruto's that he wanted to see. The look in his eyes told Sasuke that he understood.

"Where's Neji and Shikamaru?" He asked abruptly to break the silence.

"Shikamaru went with Neji to help him get to the church to get the holy water, but we thought he'd come back after that. He must have stayed with Neji until it was safe to come back to the Hokage, so they're probably on their way now." Naruto fidgeted anxiously with the collar of his shirt as he spoke, as if he was afraid that Sasuke's irritation would be directed at him and not at the missing members of their party.

"I suppose we'll have to wait then. I'd rather not relive that particular experience more than once," Sasuke said with a sigh, and Naruto visibly relaxed. Frowning a little internally, Sasuke wondered what had gotten the ghost wound up so tightly.

After nodding silently in assent, Shino and Kiba took seats on the floor next to each other and began to talk quietly between themselves. Sasuke turned his attention to his meal, as unappetizing as it was to him then, and tried to choke some of it down while Naruto reverted to his child form and plopped himself down on the desk next to him to look on and offer encouragement. After a few bites, he put down his fork, unable to stomach any more of the food, which he knew must be delicious but still tasted like sawdust in his mouth.

"How's Lee?" He asked suddenly, and all three of the phantoms looked up at him.

"He's fine now, thanks to you," Naruto said quietly, not meeting Sasuke's gaze head on. "He's still a little weak, but he's awake and lucid now. Tsunade's still refusing to leave his side."

"That's good." Sasuke placed his hands in his lap, and found himself oddly fascinated by the way his fingers overlapped one another.

"Aren't you going to eat any more?" Naruto asked in the same quiet tone, and Sasuke suddenly recognized it as fear. Naruto was afraid of him.

"No," he managed after the shock wore off. What was wrong? Didn't they understand each other? Hadn't they told each other everything, trusted the other with every secret? Why was Naruto afraid of him? "I'm not really hungry."

"You should try to eat some more."

Sasuke tried to catch Naruto's gaze, to figure out what was going on in his head, but he kept his face turned pointedly away. Gently, Sasuke reached one hand up to touch his face, but Naruto flinched away. Trying not to show how much that hurt him, Sasuke carefully laid his hand against the ghost's cheek and turned his face so he could see into his eyes.

Immediately he understood. Naruto wasn't afraid of him; he was afraid for him, scared that what he had undergone had changed him. Giving him a weak smile, Sasuke let his hands slip from Naruto's face and picked up his fork again.

"I guess I could eat a little more."

The light returned to Naruto's gaze as Sasuke started shoveling food into his mouth again without really tasting it. It was still a sawdust meal, but he was finding he could stomach it more now. Under Naruto's watchful gaze, he cleaned the plate and placed the silverware back on top of it.

"I should probably take these back down to Sakura," he said with a sigh, not wanting to face the people he had come to call friends over the past month.

Naruto jumped down from his perch on the desk. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I better do it myself."

Naruto retook his seat with a slightly disappointed expression, only brightening slightly when Sasuke patted him on the head. "I'll be back soon."

Leaving the three phantoms in his room, Sasuke walked to the top of the stairs, then paused, trying to gather the courage to make his way downstairs and come face to face with the people he wanted to trust. Had thought he could trust.

Cheerful conversation echoed up the wide stairwell, bringing with it a sense of comfort and loss at the same time. Still, hesitation caught hold of Sasuke, and his feet glued themselves to the floor, refusing to make the necessary motions to carry him down to the ground floor.

He might have stood there for a long time, frozen in indecision, if Sakura hadn't chosen that moment to walk past the bottom of the stairs carrying a basket of laundry and caught sight of him standing there.

"Sasuke? That you?"

Her voice galvanized him into action, and Sasuke started down the stairs. "Yeah, it's me. I brought back the plate."

"Good." As soon as Sasuke reached the bottom of the stairs, Sakura, having put her laundry basket down on the counter, grabbed his plate. He tried to turn back and escape the way he had come, but she seized his wrist with her other hand held him fast. "Not so fast, Spunky! You've got some explaining to do."

"Spunky?" Sasuke raised a single eyebrow at the adamant pink haired girl, unable to stop the small smile starting to creep over his features at her perfectly timed, undeniably Sakura remark.

Frowning, Sakura grumbled, "Well, what else am I supposed to call you what you act like you did? What's up, Sasuke? Is something wrong?"

The smile starting to form of Sasuke's face froze immediately, then slipped away like mud sliding off weathered wall and leaving an ugly stain behind. "I'm fine," he managed from behind his frozen mask, pulling against her grip.

But Sakura was refusing to let go, and gave a not-so-gentle tug on the wrist of her escaping prey. "You won't get away with this, Sasuke! I know something's up, and I'm not going to rest until I find out what it is!"

"Then prepare to be sleepless for a long time!" Sasuke snapped back, giving a sharp tug and yanking his arm out of her shocked grasp.

There was undeniable hurt in Sakura's eyes now, and it killed Sasuke that he was the one who put it there, but he had no choice. Not if he wanted to protect Naruto and the rest of the phantoms - and her as well.

As they were watching each other's reactions, each not quite sure how to proceed, the door suddenly slammed open with enough force to propel it into the wall with a bang. Without a care for the destruction he was causing, Neji strode through the door, tense anger radiating from his heavy stride and balled fists and an expression on his face that was furious enough to be bordering on murderous. A mere step behind him, Shikamaru floated leisurely in, looking almost amused and definitely proud of himself.

"Careful of the door," Sakura reminded him automatically, then turned and got a full look at him and stopped in surprise. "What happened to you?"

There was nothing overly messy about Neji's appearance, but his starched and ironed personality and rigid bearing was so at odds with the slightly rumpled air he was now giving off, he wouldn't have looked more out of his element had he walked through the door shivering and drenched to the bone. His suit jacket had lost its crispness and was covered with small bits of nature here and there, small twigs, tiny leaves, and scraps of moss all adorning the once pristine fabric. So, too, was his hair christened with little bits of the outdoors that decidedly did not belong inside or on the countenance of a rigid person such as Neji. A few locks of his long brown hair had escaped from the ponytail he so securely kept them in and were drifting about his face in slightly frizzy abandon. The material of his pants had, for the most part, escaped unscathed whatever attack of nature his jacket had sustained except for a small grass stain above his right knee and an even smaller dirt stain on the cuff of his left pant leg.

"Do not even ask," Neji hissed from between clenched teeth.

Sasuke didn't need to ask; Shikamaru's self-satisfied expression told it all. He had somehow gotten the best of the stuck-up boy, and Neji's outfit was a little worse for wear because of it.

Irritated or not, Neji's entrance made the perfect cover for Sasuke's escape, and he started backing up the stairs while Sakura was distracted. Neji stalked over to the steps, brushing past Sakura on the way, and that finally diverted her attention to the escaping Sasuke.

"Sasuke! I'm not done with you!" She hollered after him, throwing the plate down next to the laundry and stalking up the stairs after them both.

"Sasuke Uchiha, don't you dare walk away from me! I know there's something wrong, so why won't you just tell me? We're all here, and we all support you- do I need to remind you how none of us so much as batted an eye when you told us you were gay? Sasuke, just talk to us! Tell us what's wrong-!"

Slam. Sasuke cut her off by slamming to door to his room in her face.

"What the fuck, Sasuke!" They heard her scream through the closed door. "This isn't some damn soap opera! You don't need to slam the door in my fucking face! If you don't want to talk, fine!"

Steps stomped away from the door and down the stairs, accompanied by colorful cursing. Only when the sounds of Sakura retreating died away did Sasuke turn and face his audience of four confused phantoms and one pissed off Neji.

"You gonna tell us what that was about?" Naruto asked, hopping off of the desk and growing up to his teenage height and body.

"We have a rat," Sasuke announced, and everyone in the room froze. Even Neji lost his pissed off expression and took on one of fear. A little sadly, Sasuke fetched the jewelry box he kept the silver bracelets in from the closet and opened it. "Which means I need the bracelets back."

"Why?" Shikamaru snapped, a look of suspicion on his face, and the other ghosts also began to look angry. "Because you think one of us is selling the rest of us out? Because no one here would do that. We're a family, Sasuke."

"I know it's not any of you," Sasuke quickly said before things could get ugly. "When I was… talking… to the Akatsuki, it was one question I had that I made sure they answered. They confirmed my suspicions that they have someone on the inside, but I couldn't get anything else out of them besides the fact that whoever it was is still alive."

Realization dawned on all the ghosts' faces.

"That's why you pushed Sakura and Choji away," Kiba breathed, clutching Shino's hand a little tighter. "Because one of them…"

"One of them might be our rat," Sasuke finished for him grimly.

Neji was the only one still frowning in confusion. "If they have someone working for them already, why do they need us? That person could easily do the research they need for them."

"That's what they've been trying so far, but without any prior knowledge of the spiritual world their man is looking for a needle in a haystack. They want us to combine what we already know to weed out false information without having to chase down every red herring."

"There's only one question I have about this whole business of the 'rat'," Shikamaru said as Sasuke turned back around to face the room, a little bit of his lazy tone disappearing. "You said that the Akatsuki 'confirmed your suspicions' of one existing, is that correct?"

"Yes, that's right. They wouldn't have told me if I hadn't brought it up first."

Shikamaru's eyes sharpened, and he leaned forward, the first show of outward excitement he had made the whole evening. "That what, pray tell, was it that tipped you off to the fact that there may have been a spy amongst us?"

"This." Sasuke reached into his satchel and pulled out the scrapbook Naruto had found there that morning.

Everyone leaned forward expectantly, then leaned back again, confused when they saw what it was. Only Naruto's eyes lit up in understanding, and he clasped his hands together in a strange excitement that didn't match the seriousness of the rest of the group.

"That's the book I found in your bag this morning! Does that mean that whoever put it there is the Akatsuki's spy?"

"Precisely." Sasuke flipped the book open to show the first picture of the Hokage. "I knew I didn't put it there, so I took a gamble and asked the Akatsuki who their spy was. They wouldn't tell me, of course, but they did confirm that they had one and that he or she is still alive. They seemed pretty pissed at the person, too. Apparently this wasn't something that they were told to do, so he or she acted outside outside of their orders. Their man probably planned it out to get us interested in looking up the Kyuubi before the Akatsuki took matters into their own hands, and it backfired."

Shikamaru tilted his head back thoughtfully. "When was the last time you looked in your bag before you noticed it was there? Maybe we can narrow down who it could be using a time frame."

But Sasuke was already shaking his head. "I already tried that. I repacked it right before Sakura and Ino dragged me off to that crazy karaoke thing, and probably half the town was there. Everyone with a connection to the Hokage was there, including all the workers I don't know. It could have been anyone."

"Was there anyone who wasn't there?" Neji asked, finally getting over enough of his anger to participate in the conversation. Stealthily, Shikamaru reached over to brush a leaf out of his hair, but Neji caught the movement in the corner of his gaze and fended off the assault with a glare.

After a moment of consideration, Sasuke said, "Iruka, maybe. And Tenten, but we ran into her later."

"Iruka was there," Naruto corrected him. "He was sitting next to Kakashi."

"Then that puts us back to square one." Sasuke started to pace back and forth across the floor of his room, and everyone moved back a step to make room for him. "Which means we have to suspect everyone equally until we figure out who it is."

"Which is something we can do easily," Neji interjected impatiently. "Our families are used to working alone; this will be no different. The more important question still remains: now what do we do? Do we look for the Kyuubi or not?"

"We have to." Sasuke took a deep breath before continuing. "The Akatsuki gave me an ultimatum. We have two weeks to find out what they want to know, or they'll get their man to hurt someone here, someone we know but is completely ignorant of the situation."

The room erupted into an uproar, and Sasuke had to shout them down to be heard again. "Quiet, please! That's why I need the bracelets. It's harder to go after a living target because of the police, but you can't be prosecuted for harming someone who's already dead. Those bracelets make perfect bullseyes, so I need to take them back before any of you get hurt."

A subdued silence filled the room as they all absorbed the information, then Shikamaru stuck his arm out to Sasuke without looking at him.

"It was fun almost being human again," he said in a tone that sounded bored but held hints of real emotion, "but at the end of the day, we're still dead. It was nice while it lasted, but it couldn't be forever. So, thank you, Sasuke, for everything. I'm sure none of us will ever forget these last few days."

One by one, the other phantoms held out their arms as well, and Sasuke removed the bracelets as quickly as he could, trying not to watch their faces crumple as he took something intangible away from them. He hadn't realized exactly how much they had become attached to the bracelets and what they symbolized over the last few days. Even Kiba, who had been most vocal against wearing the bracelets when Sasuke had first brought them out, seemed to mourn the loss of its soft weight against his wrist.

His throat tight, Sasuke snapped the lid of the jewelry box closed, noting as he did so the way four pairs of spectral eyes followed the fastening of the clasp. After carefully making sure the clasp, which was solid silver to prevent spectral tampering, was fully shut and locked, he placed the box back into the closet and closed the door, locking it away from the world.

When he spoke again, Neji's voice was a little subdued. "My question still remains: what do we do now?"

Fixing his gaze piercingly on Neji, Sasuke asked, "What would you do?"

Shuffling a little uncomfortably, Neji answered, "I'd do the research, then trick the Akatsuki and hide the Kyuubi forever."

"And then what? Kill the Akatsuki?" Sasuke stopped pacing and folded his hands across his chest. "We don't have the supplies or ability to pull off something like that, Neji. If we had backup from both our families, maybe - maybe - we could pull off getting rid of a group of five Akatsuki. But we aren't. We're alone, and we'll stay like that, because you and I both know what would happen if we called for backup."

"They would wipe out any trace of spectral activity from this town," Neji said grimly.

"Wipe it out?!" Alarm filled Kiba's voice, and he squeezed Shino's hand a little tighter. "How?"

"I don't really know," Sasuke admitted. "I've never seen it happen, but I do know it's been done before. My father's been on a crew several times to do it."

"The last time it was done was before either Sasuke or I was born," Neji added. "It's only ever used as a last resort to clear an area of dangerous malignant ghosts because it also destroys any other spectral energy in the area."

"Us, in other words," Shikamaru summed up. "You're trying to protect us."

"They don't see ghosts as people," Sasuke explained. "We're taught that to distance ourselves so we don't get hurt. Even I was that way before… before I met all of you."

The room reverberated with a loud silence then, full of things unspoken yet understood, until Sasuke broke it.

"I agree that our first move should be to do the research, whether it is for their sakes or ours. We can figure it out from there."

"You mean, play things by ear?" Shikamaru asked with a slight frown. "I don't know exactly how comfortable I'd be doing that. I like to know what I'm doing-"

"But I'm afraid that's not an option this time," Sasuke cut in. "We can't make a plan if we don't know what we're doing. As soon as we get some more information, we can make a more concrete plan."

Quietly, Neji added, "This isn't a game. Someone could get hurt."

Shikamaru flinched slightly, an abnormally vivid reaction from the normally stoic ghost, at the words that no one else understood, making it clear that they were for him and him alone. Almost idly, his mind grasping at anything to distract him, Sasuke wondered what had happened between the two of them when they had been alone together for the afternoon, especially considering Neji's irate appearance at the time of his arrival to the inn.

Standing up, Shino spoke for the first time. "Did they say anything else? Anything about the rest of us?"

"They seem to consider any other ghost besides them to be beneath them, which seems consistent with what happened last night." Sasuke inclined his head to Naruto, who gave a tight nod.

"That might actually work in our favor," Neji interjected. "If they underestimate you, that could make them overconfident and lead to them slipping up."

"So, in other words," Shikamaru said to the room at large, "In other words, we're the backup squad, the ace up your sleeves. But know this: we won't always be in the background. We will contribute as much as you. This is our home, not yours."

"But this is our job," Sasuke said quietly, not moving his gaze from Shikamaru's calculating one. "Our gifts exists to regulate the border between your world and ours. Staying out of this fight isn't an option for us."

Tension erupted in the room between the two heated gazes colliding from opposite ends of the crowd, and everyone caught in the crossfire moved swiftly but slyly out of the way.

With careful and deliberate enunciation, Shikamaru said, "I trust you, Sasuke. I would trust you with the fate of all of us in this room. But make no mistake about this: I don't like your methods. You are not superhuman or infallible; you can't do everything alone. Everyone here is working towards the same goal, and they deserve to be able to contribute an equal amount of work. From here on in, there will be no more stunts like the one you pulled this morning. Is that clear?"

The stoney set of Sasuke's face refused to move for a long time after Shikamaru finished his declaration. The thing that bothered him the most was that the hyper-intelligent ghost was right, and he knew it. Boy, did he know it. There wasn't a thing Shikamaru did that didn't smell of self-satisfied righteousness, and Sasuke hated it. He was a sideline player, the shadow master and the one pulling the puppet strings, never getting his hands dirty but always coming out on top. Like Shikamaru, Sasuke could also say that he trusted the phantom, but he didn't like his methods.

Finally, Sasuke averted his eyes and spat out one word. "Fine."

He had lost that round, and the smugness in Shikamaru's eyes confirmed it, stoking the fire of irritation in his gut. Out of all the phantoms, Shikamaru was the one he could stand the least. A gentle hand on the small of his back startled him into ungritting his teeth, and giving a quick glance behind him, Sasuke saw that Naruto was giving him comfort the only way he knew how: through a physical touch.

Clearly trying to diffuse the tension, Neji stepped between the two of them. "Well, I know the rest of you don't have to sleep, but us two humans do. It's getting late and we're tired; why don't we reconvene in the morning? I'm sure everyone's tempers will be much better after a good night of rest and separation."

Grasping at the escape, Sasuke quickly agreed. "Good idea. I know I could use some rest."

"We should keep watch."

Everyone looked up at Shino, not really sure if he was the one who had spoken or not.

"What, like post a guard?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"Humans are most vulnerable when they're asleep." Shino hunched down into his high collared jacket as if uncomfortable with the weight of everyone's gazes, but Kiba squeezed his hand and he was able to draw himself up again. "If we kept a watch, we could wake Sasuke and Neji if we noticed something off. That way, they could rest easier knowing that we're watching out for them."

"That's a good idea," Kiba interjected before anyone could argue otherwise. "If one of us stays with each of you and the other two take turns patrolling the other parts of the Hokage, we could keep watch over the entire building, and alert everyone else if they notice anything suspicious."

"Alright, I guess," Shikamaru sighed, folding his hands up behind his head. "But I don't want to be on patrol. I've already used up way more energy today than my daily allotment."

"That's alright; Shino and I can do it. We haven't don't much today except stay with Lee and Tsunade, so we could use the excitement." And with that, Shino and Kiba sank through to floor, leaving only Naruto and Shikamaru in the room with Sasuke and Neji.

"I call Sasuke," Naruto claimed, muckling onto Sasuke's arm like a determined limpet.

"Then I guess you're stuck with me," Shikamaru remarked lazily to Neji, whose face started to inexplicably turn a light shade of purple.

"I guess so," he snapped waspishly, again making Sasuke wonder as to what had gone on between the two of them that afternoon, before turning to Sasuke. "This is where I take my leave. Have a restful night, Sasuke."

"And the same to you."

Sasuke watched Neji walk out his door and purposefully shut it before Shikamaru got through, forcing the ghost to float through the solid wood after him. It was a petty move, extremely unlike the formal Neji, and Sasuke could only frown at its implications as Shikamaru gave him a look that said, "What else is new?" before leaving through the closed door.

As soon as they were alone, Naruto shoved Sasuke down into the chair and perched in his lap, pressing down hard on his shoulders to keep him pinned to the chair and staring deep into his eyes. "Alright, you've been off all evening. You gonna tell me the truth? What aren't you telling everyone else?"

"Nothing," Sasuke tried to deny, but Naruto placed a hand over his mouth with a hard glint in his eye.

"I want you to remember who I am and what secrets we've shared with each other, then I want you to tell me the truth. The real truth, not whatever twisted version of it you shared with everyone else tonight."

Then Naruto removed his hand from Sasuke's mouth and looked at him expectantly.

Sighing and passing a hand over his eyes, Sasuke said, "I was telling the truth, Naruto. Nothing else happened."

"Oh, yeah? Then why were you in there for so long?"

"Bartering for information took a long time, and there were a couple of things neither one of us wanted to compromise on that took a long time to settle. That's the only reason why it took so long."

"Like what?" The glinting light came back into Naruto's eyes. "What didn't they want to tell you?"

"Like their rat, and what they wanted the Kyuubi for," Sasuke said with a shudder at the memory. "It was stupid, too, when they finally told me: power, plain and simple. I wasted a perfectly good bargaining chip learning that obvious tidbit. If they only wanted it for something concrete, it would be much simpler."

"You sure that's it? That's all that happened? Because you can tell me anything, Sasuke. You know that, right?" Concern glittered from Naruto's vibrant blue gaze.

In lieu of a response, Sasuke pulled Naruto's head down and kissed him gently. The blond phantom came slowly but willingly, softening his strong grip on Sasuke's shoulders to let his arms slip around his neck.

"Don't avoid the question," Naruto groused, pulling back and resting his forehead against Sasuke's.

"It really is nothing," Sasuke said gently as he ran his hand through Naruto's hair. "Okay?"

The silence stretched on almost infinitely until finally, Naruto nodded.

"Okay."

"Good." Sasuke tousled Naruto's hair gently, and he floated out of his embrace with his tongue stuck out. "Because I can't stand it when you're irritated. You like to pull pranks on me then, and that never ends well."

"But pranks are fun," Naruto protested, twisting through the air over Sasuke's head and forcing him to look up to see him.

"Maybe for you, but they make for some awkward situations for me. Do you remember the time at the ice cream stand where I ended up having to get pistachio because you were goofing off?"

Naruto bit back a giggle at the memory. "That was fun. You liked it though! Even though it was nasty."

Reaching up, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist and pulled him back down into his lap. "I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one."

"Hmm." Naruto settled down and snuggled gently against Sasuke's chest, and he hugged him securely there. Even though it was dark, Sasuke was filled with a warmth like sunbeams, and he again marveled at Naruto being like his own personal sun. There was a distance in it this time, though, a guilt, but not on Naruto's end.

A yawn suddenly forced itself out of Sasuke's throat and split his face wide open with its force, and Naruto immediately pulled him out of the chair and started pushing him towards the bed.

"Sleep," he ordered, giving Sasuke a particularly strung shove that sent him tumbling onto the bed, then pulled the blankets over him with a wave of his hand. "You need your strength."

Just as he was about to turn away and stand guard near the door, Sasuke reached one hand out from underneath the covers and seized Naruto's wrist. "...stay near me? Please?"

Giving a small, loving laugh, Naruto sat down on the edge of the bed and rested his hand on Sasuke's hair, gently running his fingers through the black strands. "Sure. Anything you want."

Those soft, half-corporeal fingers scratched soothingly against Sasuke's scalp, lulling him into a trancelike state. They were warm, but the warmth didn't spread to his body, and he felt cold even with the covers pulled up to his chin. The cold, he knew, was the result of the black dot on his soul that was steadily growing, a dot that Neji should have seen if his mind had been focused in the right place. A dot that had been put there by his time with the Akatsuki, and was getting bigger because he had lied to his Naruto.

The Akatsuki didn't just desire the Kyuubi because they wanted power; they wanted it for a specific purpose. Orochimaru had gone mad and split from the group because he had become obsessed with one goal: being alive once again. That goal had eventually led to his demise, at Sasuke's father's hands, no less, but it had left an impact on the group, so much so that they had decided to follow his dream in his footsteps. They wanted the Kyuubi because there was a chance that, using it, they could once more become human.

The illumination had only made Sasuke more confused as to what to do. Akatsuki were the ghosts of serial killers, and while their ghosts were more powerful than most, they still could never equal the power of a human. Bringing them back to life would be a disaster. And yet, some selfish, broken part of Sasuke's heart whispered, if they came back to life, they would never again perform experiments like the one Orochimaru had done that had driven Itachi mad, and no one would ever have to suffer his fate again.

Neji pointedly shut the door behind him, hoping that Shikamaru would get the hint and leave him alone. His hopes were dashed, however, when the irate phantom floated through the door with an expression of slight annoyance.

"Well, that was rude."

"Why are you here?" Neji hissed, pointedly putting his back to the phantom.

But Shikamaru didn't stop his forward momentum, floating through Neji, causing a swooping sensation in his gut, and turning around to give him an annoyed glare. "Because everyone else volunteered for the other guard posts first. I didn't ask to be put with you, you know."

"Yeah, about that. You're not fooling anyone." Neji folded his arms across his chest. "You were quick to announce that you didn't want to patrol, and you knew Kiba and Shino would take it so they could be together. Naruto would obviously choose to stick with Sasuke, so the only option left would be me. You played that one quite well."

A rare smile played about the corners of Shikamaru's mouth, flitting away almost as soon as it had come. "You noticed that, did you?"

"Of course I noticed! I'm not an imbecile! The only one who didn't notice was probably Naruto," Neji snapped.

"Hm." Shikamaru turned his back to Neji, then pulled his legs up so that he was sitting cross legged in the air, facing the window.

"Whatever." Neji sniffed. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

"Bullshit." Again, the sudden expletive made Neji jump. "You slept half the afternoon away. You're not tired."

"And whose fault was that?" Neji snapped. When no answer was forthcoming, he set his mouth in a defiant line and folded his arms across his chest, then went about getting ready to go to sleep.

Shikamaru's voice stopped him cold again. "Would it make you feel better if I told you that you were the only one who noticed?"

"What?!" Neji tried to jump in front of Shikamaru's gaze, but the ghost just frowned and floated a few inches sideways. "How could no one else have noticed? It was so obvious! It would be hard to not have noticed!"

"Maybe to you," Shikamaru said lazily, "but everyone else was focused on themselves."

"Even Sasuke?" Neji challenged, again getting in the way of Shikamaru's gaze.

With the air of one giving in to the demands of a small child, Shikamaru sighed and stood up so he was at eye level with Neji. "Naruto was too focused on worrying about Sasuke's strange behavior to notice - he's lying to us about something, by the way - and Shino and Kiba were too focused on trying to get the patrol together; why else do you think Kiba suggested it? If they think anything at all about it, they'll think that I refused patrol to let them be together. The only thing Sasuke noticed was your adverse reaction to everything I said and did tonight - which was totally suspicious, by the way; you weren't fooling anyone. Face it, Neji: you were the only who picked up on it, because you were the only one paying enough attention to me to notice."

A resounding silence filled the room as Neji absorbed all of this. "How do you… How do you know all of that?"

"Because I know people, Neji," Shikamaru said clearly, fixing his piercing gaze on Neji's own. "I know how people work, what makes them tick. I knew about Kiba and Shino's relationship before they did, and they've been dating for over two decades and Naruto only picked up on it yesterday. I had Sasuke figured out enough to decide whether or not to trust him with the span of a single game of chess. I know people, Neji, and I'm very good at what I do."

"And what about me?" Neji asked quietly, almost afraid to voice his suspicions.

Shikamaru's eyes lit up in smug delight. "Ah, yes. You. Here we come to the heart of the issue."

"Let me guess: I'm the one exception to your ability to pick people apart," Neji snapped. "Well, you can forget about whatever line you're trying to play off of that, because I'm not going to fall for it."

"And that's where you're not quite right," Shikamaru intoned lazily, stretching as if he had no concern in the world but regarding Neji shrewdly out of the corner of his eye. "Exception, yes. To my ability, no. You see, Neji, I know all about you, perhaps even better than you do. But it's all a lie. You, Neji Hyuuga, are living a lie."

"I'm not-" Neji started to deny hotly, but Shikamaru cut him off by seizing his shoulders and freezing him in place with that piercing gaze of his.

"You are living a lie, Neji, you just won't admit it to yourself," Shikamaru said with an intensity that Neji had never seen in him before. "There's something inside you, something buried deep in your past, that made you like you are. It's a persona that you've created, though, not the real you, and sometimes you slip up."

"When?" Neji asked, feeling a little lightheaded.

With the smile of a cat who has trapped the mouse, Shikamaru said, "This afternoon. Don't you remember?"

Without his bidding, the scene started to replay itself in Neji's mind, and he was lost in the memory.

 _Neji woke when the sun started to dip below the canopy of the trees, the sudden shade leaving him bereft of the comfortable warmth that had lulled him into slumber in the first place. As soon as this source of heat was lost, though, he became aware of another, lesser but still strong, source of warmth next to him. Cracking his eyes open, he saw that Shikamaru was laying next him, no longer gazing at the clouds, but gazing at him._

 _The thought made him smile in his drowsy state, and he asked sleepily, "Do I change shape if you keep looking at me, like the clouds?"_

 _The question caused Shikamaru's eyes to narrow almost imperceptibly. "Apparently."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Nevermind."_

 _Frowning slightly, Neji tried to shake off his concern and return to the warmth of before. He reached a hand up to brush the hair that had escaped from his ponytail away from his face, only to be surprised when Shikamaru's hand came with it. "Shikamaru? Why are you holding my hand?"_

 _A slight chuckle from the phantom. "You're holding my hand."_

 _"Oh!" Neji looked down at their interlocked hands, and was surprised to find that his hand was indeed holding onto Shikamaru's. "Sorry."_

 _"Don't be." Shikamaru reach up with his free hand and brushed the errant hair away. "I like watching you sleep. You remind me of a fairy."_

 _Neji wrinkled his nose up. "A fairy? Like Tinkerbelle?"_

 _"Tinkerbelle's a pixie. No, I mean a real fairy, like the Druid spirits of ancient Celtic myth. A young, innocent boy, asleep on the forest floor. The likeness is uncanny."_

 _"Except for the suit," Neji reminded him, poking him with their conjoined hands playfully. "That's not exactly period."_

 _"I guess you're right," Shikamaru admitted with a soft smile._

 _They shared a gentle laugh together at their private joke, then Neji turned his gaze toward the sky. To his slight alarm, the sun was much lower in the sky that it had been when he had first closed his eyes._

 _"Shikamaru, how long have I been asleep?" He asked, panic starting to creep into his voice._

 _"An hour or so. I wasn't really paying attention."_

 _"And you didn't wake me up?" Neji suddenly vaulted from the ground, desperately trying to brush off the evidence of nature from his clothes. "Shikamaru! Sasuke's already back at the Hokage, and here I am, God knows where! For God's sake, why didn't you wake me up? And why did you make me lay down here? I'm covered in this crap!"_

 _Shikamaru didn't move from his spot on the ground as he watched Neji rant._

 _"I'll never get this out- Do you know how expensive this suit was? And it's in my hair, too… I can't believe this… Why did I let you convince me to do this?"_

 _"Because you had fun," Shikamaru said quietly._

 _Neji stopped what he was doing and gave Shikamaru a long look, then shook his head and ignored the comment. "How long will it take us to get back to the Hokage?"_

 _"Half an hour. Twenty minutes if we run."_

 _"Half an hour?! Mother-" Catching himself just in time again, Neji balled his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. "Fine. Fine! Let's just get going."_

"Your point?" Neji asked pointedly, his teeth gritted like they had been when his memory broke off.

"My point is that you really are like a cloud," Shikamaru said, his gaze flicking back and forth between Neji's eyes like a hyper laser beam. "You change right in front of me when I look at you long enough. You try to create your persona of this cold individual, but it's not perfect. People like you are irresistible to people like me, Neji. Your very existence makes me want to peel back your layers and expose the true you. And it will be more fun than I've had in decades."

"Fun? So this is just a game to you?" Neji tried to pull back, but Shikamaru refused to let him go.

"Everything is a game," he breathed, and Neji was lost listening to the faint sound. "Games can make a pointless existence feel like it has meaning again."

"People can still get hurt playing games," he gasped out, losing himself in that dark gaze.

Shikamaru blinked once, very deliberately. "What did I tell you? Not if you make the rules."

"So?"

"So make the rules, Neji."

It took Neji a few seconds to understand, but when he did, a grin crept across his face and he pulled back, out of Shikamaru's reach. "You know, I've been thinking about our game from earlier. What do you think about a rematch?"

A matching grin slipped across Shikamaru's face, and he pulled up the sheets draping off the bed to reveal a chess set already hidden there. "I thought you'd never ask."

"Just- no stripping this time," Neji said with slightly weak authority as Shikamaru waved his hand and brought out the chessboard, unconsciously tugging his shirtsleeves down a little more.

"I have plenty more kinds of chess to play," Shikamaru laughed, pulling out the pieces and arranging them on the board with his mind. "Black or white?"

"White."

"You catch on fast."

"If I didn't, you wouldn't have as much fun playing with me."

"Right you are," Shikamaru said, pulling the black set in front of him and arranging the white in front of Neji, who sat down opposite him at the board. "Well, how would like to play? Shots Chess is fun, but we don't have any vodka. There's always Interrogation Chess - that's a classic - but something a little _more_ is required for tonight, and Truth or Dare Chess is too similar. Do you have any ideas?"

Neji bit back a smile as he suggested, "How about Riddle Chess?"

Shikamaru's eyes lit up in delight, as Neji had known they would. "Riddle Chess? I can't say I've ever heard of it."

"Of course you won't have heard of it. I made it up." The deliberate parroting of Shikamaru's earlier words back at him made an amused gleam cross his face. "It's just like normal chess, except when you make a capture, you also have to pose a riddle. If your opponent can't solve the riddle, then you take the piece, but if they do solve it, they take your piece."

"A game of wits within a game of strategy," Shikamaru practically hissed with excitement. "I like the way you make the rules, Neji. Very well, let us play your Riddle Chess. White moves first


	25. The Realization of a Lonely Mind

When the morning broke over Sasuke, it left him with a feeling of undeniable cold. The black spot in his aura was growing, eating away at him, and he hated it. _This is not right!_ His head was screaming at him, begging him to look at things logically. _Don't let yourself be fooled! This is not the reality you strive to live in!_

And yet, in spite of his head's helpless ranting, the dark seed the Akatsuki had planted in his heart kept growing, feeding off his own selfishness and uncertainty and tainting his mind. The morals ingrained so deeply within him should be fighting off the dark influence, but for some reason, they were powerless in the face of that one idea the homicidal draugrs had planted. The Akatsuki were manipulating Sasuke as easily as a child, and however much he tried to deny it, he was allowing them to.

Sitting up in his bed, Sasuke looked down at himself and realized that, once again, he had slept in his clothes without meaning to. That was a habit that had to stop, he thought to himself dourly. Even though it was really mostly Naruto's fault for literally pushing him to sleep. Yeah. _Just keep telling yourself that._

Speaking of Naruto, where was the erant phantom? Casting his gaze around the room, Sasuke finally located him standing at the window. The sun washed through his wispy body and landed on Sasuke's face, partially blinding him, which was probably why he hadn't noticed him standing there before.

Even when fully corporeal, ghosts still didn't exist in the same plane as humans. That lead to certain anomalies one had to get used to when one regularly dealt with ghosts, like the fact that they never cast shadows, so looking at the sun through one was more like looking through a stained glass window than through an actual person.

With a smart salute and a silly grin, Naruto snapped around in a mockery of rigid military discipline. "No dangers sighted on the night watch, Sir!"

Sasuke gave a delicate snort and pushed to covers away, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "You don't want to play that game with me. I'm far too good at it."

A challenge shining in his eyes, Naruto switched his normal button down shirt and soft khaki pants for a green uniform that looked vaguely militaristic in origin. "Really, Officer? Could you really dress me down?"

Pausing in his post bed-leaving stretch, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the saluting ghost before him. "Of course I could. The real question is, would you still be standing after I'm done?"

"Come now, give me a little credit," Naruto said with a grin.

"No." Sasuke moved forward until he was standing almost nose to nose with Naruto. "Give me a little credit."

"So you think you can do it?" Naruto challenged.

"Whoever breaks character first wins," Sasuke said simply, feeling the smirk of a challenge dart briefly across his face.

"Very well, then. But just so you know, I've had plenty of practice ignoring all the things I never wanted to hear."

"And I've had practice making people listen, so we should be about evenly matched."

Sasuke turned away from Naruto and immediately felt a solid warmth press against his back and a light tickling at the base of his neck where a mop of unruly blond hair was brushing against him.

"Ten paces?" He suggested half jokingly, and was surprised when Naruto answered him seriously.

"Five; the room's too short for ten."

"Alright, then."

As one, they moved five paces apart, then Sasuke called out, "Ready?"

"Ready," came the reply from across the room.

"Then in five… four… three… two…"

"One!" Naruto cut in from the other side of the room, and Sasuke spun around to see him doing the same, snapping into a smart salute with vacant eyes.

Drawing himself up, Sasuke also assumed his character. "What are you doing here, soldier?" He barked, surprising even himself with the intensity of his acting.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Naruto replied, his eyes staring blankly off into space.

"That's not what I asked you, soldier," Sasuke spat out while marching towards Naruto, who's eyes turned a little less vacant. "I asked you what you were doing here."

"Saluting, sir!" Naruto exclaimed, trying not let his eyes focus on Sasuke's face, but the Uchiha wasn't going to let him get away with that.

Getting right up in his face, Sasuke snapped, "No, you're not, soldier! What you're doing is a disgrace to our military heritage and to those who have served before you! Dress up that posture, and wipe that silly ass grin off your face!"

Straightening his back as stiff as a broom handle, Naruto lost his grin and set his mouth in a determined line. It was then that Sasuke noticed that his salute angle was slightly off, and he reached up to correct it, but stopped himself just in time upon remembering what the correct protocol was.

"Permission to touch you, soldier?" He barked, letting his hand float an inch away from Naruto's arm.

"Perm-?" Naruto started to ask, almost breaking character, but he caught himself just in time. "Permission granted, sir!"

Roughly, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and corrected the angle of his salute. "A salute is a gesture of respect to your superior officers, soldier! Make sure you perform it correctly!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Naruto barked right back, and the two of them stood nose to nose with hard expressions for a few more seconds before they both dissolved into childish giggles at the same time.

"Oh, God, Naruto what are we doing?" Sasuke asked, breathless from laughter, as he sat down hard on the floor. "Akatsuki at large, a spy in the Hokage, too-high levels of spectral energy still a mystery - and here we are, playing at dress up like little kids."

Returning to his normal clothing and turning a somersault in the air, Naruto asked, "But do you feel better?"

"Yes," Sasuke admitted lightly, tilting his face up to look at the ghost floating above him.

"Then my plan has reached its goal!" Naruto exclaimed, shooting a fist into the air above his head. "By using my innate charm and fabulous sense of comedic timing, I have succeeded in distracting you from your obligations! Therefore, your mind has been lightened, and in lightening your mind, you have gained the ability to look at the situation with a fresh perspective! Very illuminating, no?"

Slightlys stunned, Sasuke leaned back on the floor, catching his upper body on his elbows and stretching his feet out in front of him. "You never cease to amaze me, Naruto," he said with a slight shake of his head.

"That's because I'm amazing," Naruto quipped, a silly grin on his face and floated down to sit next to Sasuke and leaned his head against his shoulder.

"Humble, too."

This drew a laugh from the phantom, and he curled up a little tighter at Sasuke's side. Quieter, he traced a hand down Sasuke's arm and asked, "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Naruto." Sasuke pressed a quick kiss down on the top of his little phantom's head, and it no longer felt like a lie. "You're better than any dose of sunshine."

"Glad to hear it."

Strangely, just being near to the sweet innocence that was Naruto was warming Sasuke like a ray of sunlight, like the sun that morning should have but was instead cold. He could feel the darkness that had been encroaching threateningly upon him slip away as easily as a morning mist evaporates in the harsh light of dawn. It was still there, of course, but now it held less sway over his heart and decision making.

Eventually, Sasuke sighed and pushed at the comforting weight on his shoulder. "Come on, get up. I gotta get dressed."

"Let me watch?" Naruto grinned cheekily, floating upside down in front of Sasuke.

"You wish," Sasuke snorted.

"Oh, come on," Naruto complained. "It's not like I haven't seen you shirtless before."

"Get out," Sasuke ordered playfully, pulling off his dirty shirt. When Naruto stuck his tongue out at him, he balled the shirt up and threw it at the phantom, who deftly avoided it. "I'm serious, Naruto. Go find Kiba and Shino and ask them how the watch went."

"Fine. See you in a bit." With a sigh and a final pout, Naruto sank through the floorboards, leaving Sasuke alone.

Taking advantage of the rare moments completely alone, Sasuke quickly changed his clothes and ran a brush through his sleep tousled hair. He didn't know what the day would entail, but it was always best to be prepared, so he checked the contents of his satchel. Silver knives, silver cross, salt, and the scrapbook. Damn, he had forgotten to get the holy water from Neji yesterday in the aftermath of his announcement. Sasuke made a mental note to get that before they went anywhere today. After a moment of deliberation, he kept the scrapbook in the bag. If whoever was the spy thought it was a strong enough indicator to get them interested in looking up the Kyuubi on their own, it might hold a clue.

Sasuke's gaze fell on his phone, and he was suddenly struck with a sense of guilt. It had been quite a while since he had last called or texted his parents, for obvious reasons, but it was something he couldn't avoid forever. With a sigh, the sense of duty Sasuke prided himself on took over him and he picked up the phone and dialed his father's number.

It rang once, twice, three times, four times, then cut to voicemail. Frowning, Sasuke hung up without leaving a message. It wasn't that early - only about 6:30 in the morning - and his father usually got up around six.

Then it hit him: he was in Maine. His parents were still in Chicago, which meant that it was only 5:30 in the morning there. With a sigh, Sasuke started to compose a text message instead. It was probably better that he didn't speak directly to his father anyway.

 _Sorry I haven't kept in touch the past few days. I've had a couple of late nights out; there's been some events Sakura and Ino dragged me to. I don't know if I've mentioned them to you before, but they're about my age and they, along with Choji and some other people I've made the acquaintance of, have taken it as their own personal mission to expose me to the most this town has to offer. You should be proud of me, Father: I've finally managed to make some friends. Anyway, good morning and have a nice day. Tell Mom I said hi._

The last two sentences he included solely for his mother; his father wouldn't care either way if Sasuke wished him a good morning. With a dour expression, he hit send, and his phone gave a pleasant sending tone that contrasted darkly with his mood.

Spectral shouting loud enough to bleed through a floor and the door to his bedroom assaulted Sasuke's ears, and he gritted his teeth in annoyance. Yes, no one else could hear them, but that didn't mean they could just run around wreaking havoc as they pleased! Stalking to the door, Sasuke threw it upon in time to see Naruto pelt up the stairs, dragging Shino and Kiba behind him and leading Tsunade.

Immediately, alarm bells started ringing in Sasuke's head. Tsunade had said that she would stay with Lee until he got better, and judging by the worried expression on her face, she hadn't separated herself from him by choice. Quickly, he opened his door wider and beckoned them inside.

Once they were all standing in his room and Sasuke had shut the door, he turned around to face the four ghosts, and they all started talking at once.

"I swear we were watching-"

"He's… He's…"

"He was awake, but-"

"-we were, I swear-"

"...but why? He was still weak-"

"He shouldn't be moving! Of all the dumb things to pull-"

"-never left the building the whole night, and we took turns patrolling-"

"I only turned my back for a second-"

"-definitely isn't like him, he always follows the rules-"

"Enough!" Sasuke finally shouted, throwing his hands up into the air. "Shut up, all of you!"

Immediate silence followed his angry yell, and Sasuke slowly lowered his hands. "Now," he said, very quietly and deliberately, "someone tell me what's going on, slowly and clearly, please!"

"Lee's gone," Naruto blurted out, and Tsunade burst out crying.

Of all the stupid, irritating, non-Akatsuki-related problems that could pop up, of course it had to be this! Sasuke almost facepalmed in disgust. Why, oh, why, couldn't Lee have just stayed put and kept out of the way like any sane injured person would do? Even members of the Uchiha family were required to stay far away from any conflict if they were physically unfit in any way.

But Lee wasn't an Uchiha, and he certainly didn't have the training or discipline of one. Lee was a young phantom, almost self-alienated from his peers by his inability to control his latent powers, and forced to watch as one by one, his fellow phantoms bonded with each other and the humans who could see them, all the while remaining largely alone. It would be enough to drive any sane man crazy. And as for insane men… well, they were already crazy.

Kiba was patting Tsunade awkwardly on the back as she cried, being the one stuck closest to her, but he kept shooting "save me!" glances over his shoulder that were ignored by both Naruto and Shino.

"I don't know how he got out!" Tsunade wailed, her spectral tears not strong enough to drip off her chin before disappearing. "He asked for a glass of water so I tried to get him one, but I couldn't and when I went back, he was gone! Disappeared, like he'd been stolen away by a spirit! God in heaven, save us all! There's demons on the loose!"

Kiba stopped awkwardly patting Tsunade's back and the three phantoms took several paces back from her as she dropped to her knees on the ground and started praying with delirious fervor under her breath. Biting his lip uncertainly, Naruto cast a troubled gaze at Sasuke.

"What's going on? Is she okay?"

"She's fine; she's just lost her sense of self for a moment and forgotten that she's dead. It happens every so often to specters." Sasuke kneeled down in front of Tsunade and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She wasn't powerful enough to become corporeal, but even the illusion of a touch was often enough to comfort a distraught and disoriented specter.

Looking up at his with a tearstained face, Tsunade asked fearfully, "Are you here to exorcise the demons? Will you help us, young man?"

Very deliberately, Sasuke kept his gaze steady and locked with hers. "There's do demons here, Ms. Tsunade. You're safe. There's no need to be carrying on like this."

"There isn't?" Tsunade's tears dried up, but a confused expression took their place. "Then why couldn't I bring Lee his water? And who spirited him away? It's witchcraft, I tell you! It's the only explanation!"

"No, it's not." Sasuke carefully pulled his hand away from Tsunade's shoulder and held it up in the air. "Try to touch my hand."

"Why?" Fear took over Tsunade's face. "What's going to happen? I don't want to!"

"It's be alright," Sasuke assured her.

With trembling fingers, Tsunade reached her hand out to try and grasp Sasuke's, but she passed right through his body. With a soft gasp, she hastily pulled her fingers back and pressed them against her trembling lips.

"You're a ghost, Tsunade," Sasuke said with as much gentleness as he could. "You've been dead for a while. Do you remember now?"

"Yes…" She said, her eyes starting to face in and out of focus. "I remember now… I died a long time ago…" Her gaze abruptly snapped into focus on Naruto and his fellow phantoms' faces. "And you're all dead too, right?"

After casting an unsure look amongst themselves, the group disgorged Naruto forward to speak. "We're all ghosts, just like you, Granny. We've known each other for a long time."

"That's right…" Tsunade muttered to herself again, then snapped her attention to Sasuke. "And you're not dead? You're still alive? But you can see us? Who are you again?"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke reminded her gently. "Yes, I'm still alive, and I helped you when Lee got hurt. Do you remember that?"

All of a sudden, Tsunade's eyes cleared of all confusion and she stood up quickly. "Of course," she said briskly, straightening her clothes and returning to her normal businesslike mannerisms. "I remember it all know; I don't know how I could have forgotten it. Well, I must give an apology for my appealing behavior. Now, if you please, I have to track down my missing patient."

"Why don't you go back home, Granny?" a voice spoke out from beside the door, and when Sasuke turned, he saw Shikamaru leaning casually against the doorframe. "Kiba and Shino can take you there. We'll take care of Lee from now on."

Drawing herself up even further, Tsunade spoke with emphasis. "I said before that I never leave a patient until they're healed, and I don't intend to start with Lee."

"If he's healthy enough to be sneaking out, he's healthy enough to not need constant attention from a doctor," Shikamaru countered unsympathetically. "We can find him, so go home, Granny. Get some rest. How can you treat your patients if you don't have any rest?"

Tsunade gave a few disgruntled sniffs before sighing and conceding. "I guess you're right. I do have other patients to attend to besides poor Lee. Come, Shino, Kiba. Escort an old lady home."

And without another word, she floated through the door, clearly expecting her entourage to follow behind her. Kiba darted out through the door right after her, but Shino paused before leaving the room.

"You'll be okay, finding Lee with just the three of you?" He asked with concern.

"We'll be fine," Shikamaru assured him. "Now go with Tsunade before she gets lost, and keep Kiba in check while you're at it. You know how he gets around her."

Through the door, they heard Kiba yell, "Granny! Not that way! Don't you know where you're going?"

"Of course I do! Get out of the way, whippersnapper!"

"Then why are you going the wrong way?!"

"Point taken," Shino sighed. "Well, good luck finding him."

After Shino, too, had floated out of the room, Sasuke turned to Shikamaru with a reproachful gaze. "That was a little cruel, you know. Telling her she has patients to look after."

Shikamaru only shrugged. "She's happier believing that. Besides, some of the old duffer ghosts sometimes come and visit her and she gives them checkups, so it's not entirely a lie."

Once again, Sasuke was struck by how much he didn't like Shikamaru's methods. Yes, he had gotten Tsunade off their backs, but he hadn't used the delicacy that the condition of such a fragile ghost required. Though maybe the Kyuubi or whatever spectral surge was causing the ghosts in Konoha to have abnormally long lifespans also gave them extra mental resilience. Or maybe Shikamaru was just an ass. It was impossible to tell.

"But why did you send both Kiba and Shino with her?" Naruto asked exasperatedly. "Now that we have less people, it's going to be even harder to search for Lee!"

"We don't have to search for him," Shikamaru intoned lazily. "I already know where he is. And Sasuke does too, don't you." It wasn't a question.

Naruto turned plaintive eyes on Sasuke. "You know? How?"

"Lee asked for a glass of water," Sasuke quietly. "Water he couldn't drink, meaning he specifically distracted Tsunade so he could sneak out when she wasn't paying attention because he knew it wasn't a place we'd approve of him going. The one question I have is, why? What could possibly possess him to go back there? What's waiting there for him?"

Shikamaru nodded at him approvingly. "Good train of logic."

Casting a withering glance his way, Sasuke snapped, "I don't need your approval!"

Naruto slammed his hand down angrily on the desk. "Would you two please stop bickering like indulged hens and explain to me where Lee is already?!"

The abrupt shout caught both Sasuke and Shikamaru off guard, and Sasuke winced apologetically at the pissed off phantom. Even Shikamaru had the decency to look a little guilty.

"He's at the beach." Shikamaru shoved both hands into his pockets in a gesture of unconcern that belayed the tightness in his voice.

"The beach? You mean… Gaara's beach?" Confusion took over Naruto's expression. "Why would he be there?"

"Why was he there in the first place?" Sasuke countered.

"Lee's got a heart of gold," Shikamaru said with authority. "He can't stand to see any creature in pain. When he heard about the fight you two had with Gaara and the circumstances of his death, he probably set out to try and fix him."

"That's insane; you can't just 'fix' a draugr!" Sasuke spat out. "Draugrs are defined by the circumstances of their death and their inability to forget. Even if you could somehow manage to get them past it, their hatred is the only thing holding them here, so they'd just fade."

"But you're forgetting where you are," Naruto said slowly. "This is the town where no ghost ever fades. Don't you think that, if it could be done, Konoha would be the place it would happen?"

"I don't even know anymore." Sasuke sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. "But that still leaves us with one important question: do we follow him or not?"

"No."

The sudden reply startled both Sasuke and Naruto, and they looked up at Shikamaru, who was gazing out the window with a slack expression on his face.

"Why?!" Naruto demanded angrily, drawing himself up so he floated higher off the floor than before. "Why wouldn't we go after our friend who may need our help?"

"For the same reason why Neji couldn't go with Sasuke to confront the Akatsuki," Shikamaru answered calmly. "He is most definitely confronting Gaara as we speak, and who was it that hurt him rescuing Lee from him the other day? Us. He won't be too happy to see us, but he might be willing to talk to Lee, even if just for the sake of some twisted sadistic pleasure. Lee has a much better chance if he goes alone."

"But we can't just leave him," Naruto argued.

"I agree- which is why we'll give him an hour, then if he doesn't show back up, we can march in there with all guns blazing." Sasuke looked back and forth between the two phantoms. "Sound like a plan?"

"I'll wake up Neji," was Shikamaru's only comment as he regressed through the wall, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone once more.

Turning to the ghost, Sasuke asked uncertainly, "Naruto? Are you okay with this?" He knew how much Naruto's friends meant to him, and how much it had to be killing him to be kept on the sidelines.

Naruto's head was tipped forward, his blond hair suddenly grown long enough to hide his face without Sasuke noticing. As he brought head upright, Sasuke was struck by how much older he looked; about twenty three, compared to the seventeen or eighteen he usually looked around the other phantoms. With a sudden bolt of clarity, Sasuke realized that this must have been how Naruto had looked when he died.

Quietly, Naruto said, "I don't like it, but then again, I don't have to like it. I just have to deal with it. It's just an hour, right?"

"Just an hour," Sasuke confirmed.

Moving to look out of the window, Naruto let one hand rest against the wooden frame of the portal to the outside world. "It's going to be a long hour."

The sand under Lee's feet was wet and softly white, fine grains interspersed with hard pebbles worn down by the sea and time and sharp shards of shells broken apart by seagulls in search of a meal and not quite yet blunted by the relentless rush of salt water. The rough ground felt like an indulgent sin of sensations to Lee, and he eagerly pressed his toes into the grit, closing his eyes almost reverently. He had died barefoot over twenty years before, and so this sand, which existed in both planes of existence thanks to the breadth of spectral power that resided there, was the first thing to touch the skin of his feet in decades.

As he was digging his toes into the sand, Lee suddenly realized that its sun kissed warmth was diminishing and being replaced with a subtle ominous chill. And not only that, but the grains shifting across the ground seemed to be encroaching menacingly upon his feet like a guerrilla army sneaking up on their target, disguised by the errant grains of sand blowing peacefully across the beach all around them.

Opening his eyes, Lee found a pair of dangerous sea-green eyes staring back at him with jewel-like clarity and alarming closeness. Instinctively, Lee tried to jerk away from that dangerously beautiful omnipresent gaze, but the sand held his feet fast in place, causing him to lose his balance and fell backwards to the ground. As soon as his hands touched the sand, the ground opened up underneath them and swallowed them whole, and tendrils of sand came up to wrap around his middle, effectively trapping him.

Lee struggled against the bonds that held him, but not in fear. He had been trapped before, but it hadn't been like this. Last time, the sand had been filled with a sense of murderous rage and inexplicable sadness, but this time the grains held only a feeling of loneliness that permeated the whole beach and seeped into Lee's mind through contact with his limbs.

"Don't bother," the harsh voice, gritty like the sand of the beach, spoke from above him. "You won't get free."

Craning his head back, Lee finally got a good look at Gaara's face. The word he had clawed into his forehead, love, was still there, a healing shade of pink now rather than a fresh bloody red, but the circles around his eyes had darkened to an almost kohl-like black. The look on his face was haunted, but hard, like it had frozen itself off from the world.

"I know," Lee said quietly. "I wasn't trying to get free."

A frown drew the corners of Gaara's eyebrows together, but that was the only outward sign on his conusion. "Then why struggle?"

"Because I can't use my hands like this. And I'd like to be able to touch you."

Anger reared its ugly head in Gaara's expression. "Do not mock me, little ghost. You have no desire to touch me. No one ever has."

"But I do," Lee insisted, trying to twist his arms free.

"Enough!" Gaara reached out his hand and sand swirled around it, forming into a long, claw-like arm. "You've escaped me once, but you won't do so again. Your life is mine to claim!"

"Then claim it!" Lee shouted, twisting his face into a defiant snarl as the claw drew closer and closer to his neck. "I'm already dead anyway!"

A hairsbreadth away from Lee's throat, the claw of sand froze, and a tortured look came over Gaara's face. "You think that makes any difference to me?" He snarled, but his hand started trembling.

"Yes, I do think it makes a difference," Lee said gently, and slowly leaned forward so that his neck touched the sandy claw stretched toward him. As soon as it made contact with his skin, it started dissolving into nothingness, the sand getting caught on the sea breeze and washing away like the colors of a picture drawn in chalk on the sidewalk in a rainstorm. The sand around his hands loosened as well, whether by accident or design, and he reached up with both hands and grabbed the arm outstretched toward him and brought it forward, forcing Gaara's hand to close around his own throat.

"Wh- what are you… what are you doing?" Gaara asked on a trembling breath, and for the first time, Lee heard fear and horror in his tone.

"You wanted me like this, didn't you?" He challenged, drilling his gaze directly into the sea foam eyes above him. "I'm afraid you can't claim my life - the sea already took care of that - but you're free to claim my existence. If you can."

"I… I…" Gaara stuttered, and Lee felt a surge of pride in himself that he had struck the draugr dumb.

"Do it!" He ordered, the words sounding like the crack of a whip even to his own ears, and Gaara flinched upon hearing them. "A threat is like a promise; you have to keep them, so do it!"

Gaara's hand tightened around Lee's throat, and for a second, real fear flashed through him. What if Gaara really did hurt him? There was no one here to help him this time.

Then, miraculously, the hand around his throat loosened and fell away, a Gaara took a few stumbling steps away Lee. The sand trapping his legs and middle slackened as well, leaving Lee able to stand and brush himself off.

Gaara abruptly turned his back to Lee, his hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly. "Just get out," he said in his quiet, gritty voice. "Leave me alone."

"No."

Spinning back around to face him, Gaara spat out, "What?"

"I said, I'm not leaving," Lee said clearly, folding his arms across his chest and thrusting out his chin in stubbornness. "Not until I have what I came here for."

"And what is that?" Gaara asked bitterly with a humorless laugh. "An apology? Don't expect one from me. Just count yourself lucky you escaped me a second time. No one else has ever gotten that chance."

"I don't want an apology." Lee took a step forward, shortening the distance between himself and Gaara. "I know you're incapable of giving one, anyway."

"Then what?"

"Forgiveness," Lee said simply, and closed the remaining distance between the draugr and himself by seizing him in a hug.

Immediately, Gaara's entire body went rigid his arms almost stuck straight out by his sides, but Lee didn't let go. If anything, he gripped tighter, resting his head trustingly on the draugr's chest. How a ghost of someone who had died as a child could grow this tall and solid, Lee didn't know, but Gaara's size absolutely dwarfed him, even though he had been twelve years older than Gaara had been when he had died.

Gaara remained immobile for so long, Lee wondered if something was wrong, but eventually he allowed his arms to drop down, brushing against Lee's back. If not exactly hugging him back, he was at least allowing the contact, so Lee counted it as a win.

The sound of the crashing waves and lazy gulls overhead were the only thing peeking through the veil of silence until Gaara tore it away. "You wish for… forgiveness?" He asked with genuine confusion in his voice.

"No," Lee said gently, his voice slightly muffled by Gaara's chest. "I want to forgive you."

There was a discernible hitch in Gaara's breathing. "You want to give me forgiveness?" The words started quietly, but they quickly crescendoed into shouting. "Me, the scourge of the town? The demon of every local fairy tale? The monster so despicable, even my own mother abandoned me here on this very beach?! Don't mock me!"

With these last words, he shoved Lee away from him, putting a little bit of power behind it and blasting him with a small shower of sand. The blast knocked Lee over again and he ended up on all fours, coughing as his lungs tried to get rid of the sand he had inadvertently inhaled. When the sand all settled back on the ground, he looked up and beheld Gaara stalking slowly towards him. The aura that permeated the sand was of real hatred and rage now, not the loneliness of before.

"You presume to think that you can forgive me?" Gaara fumed. "This audacity will not go unpunished! I was going to let you go, but you have pushed my patience past its breaking point! Prepare yourself, little puny phantom!"

Sand starting whipping around the two of them in a fast frenzy, stinging when it pelted against Lee's skin. Gaara was advancing on him, his sand claw reforming, but with sharper claws this time, so Lee did the only thing he could think of: he tore off his shirt and turned so he was facing away from the draugr, giving him a good view of his back and the mostly healed scar on it.

Almost immediately, the sand swirling around them in a tornado-like formation fell to the ground with a wet plop, and Lee looked over his shoulder to see Gaara's reaction. The draugr was standing frozen in shock, his claw once again melting away, leaving his hand a scarce few inches away from Lee's bare back. While he wasn't able to see it very well himself because he couldn't find his reflection in a mirror, Lee did know that it took the form of a blot of discolored and lumpy scar tissue at the base of his spine where the pieces of silver had taken root in his body, with several spidery threads of red tracing out from it, including the one that traveled up his spine. The red marks he knew might eventually go away, but he would live out the rest of his existence as a ghost with the scar marring his flesh.

"What… What is it?" Gaara asked with a kind of morbid fascination mixed with the beginnings of self-doubt.

"This is what you did to me," Lee said quietly, his skin almost twitching at the feeling of Gaara's closeness.

"I… I did this?" Gaara asked, his eyes going rapidly in and out of focus. "I caused this to happen?"

"Mm-hmm," Lee merely grunted, not knowing what else he could say.

Almost tentatively, Gaara reached a hand out, almost pressing it against Lee's back. "May I…

touch it?"

"Sure, I guess," Lee agreed hesitantly, nervousness starting to flutter in the hollow of his stomach.

Lee wasn't looking over his shoulder when Gaara moved up closer behind him, so the hand that roughly pressed against the skin of his back took him by surprise enough for him to let out a small, almost imperceptible gasp. The pads of Gaara's fingers were rough, like the sand he had spent all his time living in, but his palm was exceedingly soft, and together the contrast between the two different parts of his hand served as a relaxation agent almost as good as the massage-like pressure of the touch itself.

Gaara traced a fingertip up the red thread that ran up Lee's spine, stopping where it ended just below his atlas vertebra. "And this? I… I did this, too?"

"Yes," Lee managed, trying to hold himself steady and not either rock back into or away from that hand. "It's silver burn, the aftermath of silver poisoning."

"Silver?"

"The bracelet," Lee explained, rubbing the wrist where, up until Gaara had torn it off, the bracelet had resided. "The clasp was pure silver, and when you blasted it at me, the silver got embedded in my back. They had to be dug out before I could heal."

"I… I didn't know."

Lee supposed it was the closest thing he could expect to an apology from the draugr. Pulling away from Gaara's still hand, he conjured up another shirt, this one darker and more blue, like the depths of the ocean. A slight frown graced Lee's face. He hadn't meant to do that; it had just happened. With a shrug, he put it out of him mind and turned around.

There was something in Gaara's eyes now that hadn't been there before, something as deep and dark as the deepest parts of the abyss, but lighter in the sense that some great weight had been lifted from them. Rubbing his wrist again to avoid looking at that knowing gaze, Lee said quietly, "It doesn't matter. I already said that I'd forgiven you."

"But how?!" Gaara spat, his expression torn between anger at Lee and anger at his own ineptitude and inability to comprehend what was going on. "How can you so frivolously spend your forgiveness on someone as undeserving as me? You should give it to someone who has more want of it."

"That's not how forgiveness works. It's an awful lot like love; it goes where it goes, picking its targets without much thought for worthiness. Sometimes, people can waste away from starvation when their only want was a forgiveness they could ever receive, and other times, people can be destroyed by expecting hate and receiving forgiveness. It's a powerful tool, and not one I choose to wield lightly." Lee bowed his head a little further, refusing to meet Gaara's gaze, seeking answers. "Besides, I can't give it to someone who wants it, because I already gave it to the person who has most need of it."

"You think I have need of forgiveness?" Gaara scoffed.

"Don't you?" Lee asked quietly.

Gaara was struck dumb for a few seconds, his mouth opening and shutting like a fish out of water before he regained his composure and folded his arms across his chest, jutting out his chin in arrogance and stubbornness. "Then, I forgive you too!"

Lee couldn't help it; a small, stifled giggle snuck past the hand he had hastily clapped over his mouth. Even in the face of Gaara's dark glare, the moment of humor was worth it. "What for? What did I do to you?"

"For confusing me!" Gaara snapped back, turning his back to Lee in what the phantom guessed was embarrassment. "For making me think about people again, and … and … and making me want to talk to people."

"Do you usually not want to talk to people?" Lee asked, coming up to stand next to Gaara and slightly behind him, close enough to reach out and touch his shoulder, but he didn't dare to yet.

"Never," Gaara growled, turning his body just the slightest so that he could look at Lee out of the corner of his eye.

With trepidation in his stomach, Lee finally screwed up the courage to lay a comforting hand on Gaara's shoulder, who stiffened slightly but didn't pull away. "Do you… maybe… want to talk to me?"

Gaara didn't answer for a long time, instead looking out across the sea and the white crests that crowned the majestic waves as they rolled in toward the tiny beach the two ghosts were both standing on. With the breaking of each wave, a surging surf came hissing up the beach like an angry animal, retreating in fear when it got too close to its adversary but always circling back to look for an opening.

"What do you think of the sea?"

It took Lee a few seconds to register that Gaara had spoken at all, so quiet and unexpected had the words been. Looking out at the ocean, Lee wondered what Gaara saw in it that he couldn't see.

"Not really sure. It's pretty enough, but dangerous. I try to avoid the sea."

Gaara cocked his head to the side enough to get a good look at Lee. "Why?"

"Lots of reasons, I suppose." Lee shrugged. "It's cold and dark. I died in the ocean."

The look that Gaara cast Lee this time was sharp. "You drowned?"

"Yeah." Lee took a step forward, toward the ocean, his hand slipping off Gaara's shoulder in the process. "I loved to swim, and I was always trying to push myself to be a better swimmer. One day, I set out early and didn't tell my father where I was going, and I swam somewhere I shouldn't have. The current was stronger than I thought it would be, and the riptide pulled me out faster that I could think. I never made it back to shore, and they never found my body."

A hand suddenly settled on Lee's shoulder, and he looked back in surprise at Gaara, who was still looking out at the ocean. "I drowned, too," he announced suddenly. "But not like you. My par- I was buried here in the sand when I was very young and left until the tide came in. I don't know if it was the water or the weight of the sand that finally did me in. After I died, I made sure my body was found."

"Do you remember much about it?" Lee said hesitantly, almost too afraid to ask.

"Not much," Gaara said with a wry smile. "I was asleep for most of it, I think. I don't know for certain, but I always suspected that they drugged me first, before they buried me, so I wouldn't struggle. It was only when my lungs really stopped working that I woke up, and by then, it was already too late for me to do anything."

"Do you know why your- why you were abandoned?" Lee amended as he spoke.

A coarse laugh cut from Gaara's throat. "They were both immigrants who had come from Ireland - as you can probably tell from my hair - and had lived their whole lives steeped in old legends and superstitions. They abandoned me because they thought I was a changeling."

"A changeling?" Lee asked with a frown.

"A baby of the mischievous and malevolent fey folk, switched with your own at birth or shortly after," Gaara explained. "I was a strange baby - I never cried, but I wasn't mute, and I developed a passion for sharp things at an early age. Eventually, they couldn't take it anymore, believing that they were raising a child who wasn't theirs, so they took matters into their own hands."

"That's… That's horrible!" Lee gasped, turning away from the ocean to look directly at Gaara.

But the draugr didn't move his body, only turning his head slightly towards Lee. The expression on his face was one of sullen acceptance and a little confusion. "It was my life."

Then Lee understood. All other interactions so far, everything Gaara had said, his reaction when he had whispered to Gaara the last time he had been trapped in the sand, suddenly clicked into place, and he understood with alarming clarity. Gaara had never been loved, not once his whole life or after. Therefore, he had no concept of love, and was suffering watching people love when he didn't understand its purpose. Well, that was something Lee was going to fix, if he was able to.

Moving quickly so Gaara didn't have a chance to pull away, Lee wrapped one arm about his waist and brought the other up to touch his chest, leaning his head against his shoulder. While Gaara seemed surprised, he didn't try to avoid the embrace, but his arms dangled off to the sides uselessly and he swung them uncomfortably.

"What is the point of this?" He asked, but it wasn't scathing. It was asked with genuine curiosity brought out of a desire to know, to experience, what had been denied him.

"There's no point, really. It's just a nice thing to do. It makes you feel good."

"Why?"

"Because when two people hug each other, it means that they love each other. There's many kinds of love - the love in families, the love between siblings, the love between boyfriends and girlfriends - but there's really nothing like the love between two good friends." Lee gave Gaara's shoulders a light squeeze. "And do you know why?"

"Why?" Mimicking Lee, Gaara also tried to lightly squeeze Lee's shoulders, but it felt more like giant boa constrictor was trying to crush him to eat him whole. Blinking back the beginnings of tears from his eyes, Lee resolved not to say anything about it, since he was at least trying.

"Because really good friends trust each other. When a couple or a pair of brothers or sisters really care for each other, they often say that those people, in addition to being their spouse or sibling, are their best friends. Don't you think that sounds wonderful?"

"I wouldn't know," Gaara said with a hint of sadness trapped in his gruff tone. "I've never had a friend before."

"Then, would you allow me to be your friend?"

Gaara's head snapped to the side to look down at Lee, who tilted his face slightly upwards so Gaara could see his earnestly honest expression. All of a sudden, his face hardened again, and he pushed Lee away from him. "What's the point? I've done terrible things, things I don't regret doing. I can never atone for my sins."

He turned his back abruptly and started walking away, sinking deeper into the sand with each step, but Lee darted after him and grabbed him from behind, refusing to let him get away.

"Then let me forgive you!"

"You?" Gaara hunched his shoulders against the touch, but couldn't hide the incredulity in his voice. "You already forgave me for the wrong I caused you. I've done much more than that. I've killed people."

Lee shivered when he heard that, but he still didn't let go. He had known that Gaara had ended lives during his time haunting the beach, of course, but it was different hearing him admit it out loud. "I still forgive you."

"How can you?" The sound in Gaara's voice now was almost a sorrow of the kind found only after betrayal. "I've done so much wrong, before you even died. Hell, probably before you even were born. You can't just… forgive me… for what I've done."

"I can," Lee insisted. "I can and I will. Because you deserve to be forgiven."

Gaara gave a delicate, miserable snort. "I don't deserve anything except what's coming for me. Now let me go!" He started twisting back and forth, trying to throw off the phantom glued to his back.

"No! That's not true!" Lee grappled with Gaara as he tried to pull free, managing to keep him still long enough to shout in his ear. "Everyone deserves happiness, and even more so the people who've been denied it! It's there for you, Gaara! You just have to reach out and grab it!"

That stilled Gaara's wilds trashing, but his shoulders slumped in despair. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know what I'm reaching for."

The sad words broke Lee's heart, but he didn't let it show. When you helped someone else, you couldn't let your own problems get in the way. Gently, he tugged on Gaara's shoulders again, and this time, the draugr consented to let himself be dragged from the sand.

"If you don't know what to reach for," Lee said in a quiet, trembling voice, "let me reach out to you."

He held one hand out to Gaara, waiting for him to take it. Gaara stared at the proffered hand for a long time as if not understanding it's purpose, and Lee's heart jumped up in his throat. Then, slowly, he extended his own hand and took Lee's, entwining their fingers together. Immediately, Lee extended his other hand as well, and this time, Gaara took it without hesitation, twining their fingers together like they belonged that way. Not letting go of either hand, Lee took a step toward Gaara so that their chests almost brushed together.

"I forgive you, Gaara. For all your faults. Can't you accept yourself the way you are, as I have?"

Almost before the last word was out, Gaara had let go of both of Lee's hands and crushed him against his chest, his arms wrapping around him like strong bands of iron. Lee was surprised at first, but melted into the embrace after the initial shock wore off. It was warm, much warmer than the dark embrace of the ocean, and comfortable, albeit a little tight.

Gaara was shaking a little as he hugged Lee, and when he gave a choking sob, the phantom suddenly realized that he was crying. The tears were strong enough to drip off Gaara's chin and onto Lee's shirt, dampening it with his sorrow.

Lee didn't say anything, just rubbed Gaara's back soothingly and let him sob like a child while hanging off him. What else could he do? It wasn't every day that he forced a murderous draugr through an existential crisis. He was just counting himself lucky that he had managed to pull this one off without getting himself hurt. Again.

After a while, Gaara's tears slowed until they stopped and he pulled back, rubbing his tearstained cheeks clean with the back of his sleeve. "I'm not usually like that," he said, still a little brokenly, and Lee understood it for what it really was: an apology.

"It's okay." Lee gave Gaara the brightest smile he could. "That's what friends are for, right? The proverbial 'shoulder to cry on'?"

"I wouldn't know." A light blush crept over the top part of Gaara's cheekbones. "I've never had a friend before."

"Well, you have one now." Lee grabbed Gaara's hand, then sat down, pulling the draugr down next to him. "A shoulder to cry on, and a laugh to make the pain go away. That's what a friend is. So, now that you've had a good cry, let's hear that laugh."

"I can't just laugh on command, you know," Gaara said tersely.

"No, but you can laugh. You just admitted it!" Lee giggled. "And I'll spend all day coaxing it out of you if I need to!"

Lee's large smile and gay laughter was infectious, and he soon pulled Gaara into conversations about himself he doubted he had ever told anyone else. It took a long time, but eventually the curl of lip at the edge of his mouth spread into a small smile, which turned into a grin, which opened up into a laugh that was hoarse from disuse but rich in character. And as the conversation kept rolling without a stop, neither one of them noticed the sun climbing higher in the sky.

Naruto knew it was wrong, but he couldn't stop himself. He had snuck out of the Hokage when Sasuke was distracted getting the holy water from Neji, and he was now standing just under the last branches of the trees next to the beach, hidden in their shadows. Shikamaru, of course, had known he was leaving - nothing got past his all-seeing gaze - but he had been the only one privy to this staunch disobedience.

Why was he here? Hadn't he agreed to wait the hour with Sasuke? Naruto was disgusted with himself for coming and breaking that agreement, but he still couldn't keep himself away. He was like the child who couldn't stop himself from reading a forbidden book, except that there was a chance the book might spontaneously catch on fire if he wasn't there to read it.

The hand that was gripping a branch next to Naruto tightened almost imperceptibly and his teeth clenched. He knew Lee often felt like an outsider to their group because of the large gap in their ages and powers, but dammit! He didn't have to off and do something like this!

 _Fuck it, Lee! You don't have to prove yourself like this! You're one of us, whether you have powers or not!_ Naruto cursed mentally, forcing his hand to open violently and release the branch it had been holding in a death grip. When he looked down at his hand, Naruto saw that there was a red pattern imprinted on his palm in the shape of the bark of the branch he had just let go.

Cursing under his breath, Naruto looked out at the beach, his eyes scanning back and forth for any sign of Lee or the draugr that made this beach his haunting grounds. For several seconds, he couldn't find anything, and a sudden jolt of fear went through him. Had Lee already been taken away from them by that monster? Was he already buried under the sand?

No, Naruto tried to reassure himself. It was much more likely that Sasuke and Shikamaru had been wrong and Lee hadn't gone here at all. He probably went to see the place that he had died - not that Naruto knew where that was, since Lee had refused to tell them - or anywhere else connected to his, actually. He had probably gone there instead.

More likely that Shikamaru had been wrong. God, that sentence sounded bad even inside Naruto's head.

Just as he was about to give up and turn away, Naruto heard something that sounded suspiciously like laughter. Peering hard into the distance, almost leaning out of his shaded hiding spot doing so, Naruto finally made out two figures sitting down on the beach close to the water, far enough away from the treeline where Naruto stood that they would be underwater once the tide came back in.

One of the people Naruto recognized as Lee - that laugh would be recognizable anywhere - but the other one wasn't so easy. His hair was a brilliant shade of red that caught the sunlight and gleamed gold when he moved, and his laugh was quiet but strong, and carried over the sound of crashing waves.

Who was he? Naruto craned his head to get a better look, and as he did so, the ghost lifted up his hand and twirled his finger around in a spiral, creating a small dust devil of sand seemingly for Lee's enjoyment.

"Holy shit!" Naruto yelped aloud, then clapped a hand over his mouth, afraid of being caught. The other ghost was Gaara? How the fuck did Lee manage that? Sitting down, showing off, laughing- the world had gone mad! Since when did draugrs behave kindly just because they were shown some real human emotion?

Shaking his head, Naruto slipped away quietly, neither of the two ghosts ever having realized he had been there in the first place. Perhaps the spontaneous combustion of books was, after all, a rarer occurrence than Naruto had once thought.


	26. A Parting of Ways

So, I had intentionally made the last chapter and this chapter all one chapter, but for some reason this website won't let me upload documents with more than 10,000 words, so I had to split it in half. This is the second half of the chapter, so make sure to go read the first half if you haven't yet, or a lot of things won't make any sense!

Anyway, returning to the chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

The holy water Neji had gotten was very weak, Sasuke could tell from the second the mason jar was placed in his hands. It had been diluted to almost a quarter strength, and the jar was only half full. Not that it wouldn't do the job by itself, but Sasuke had been hoping to be able to dilute it further to get more of a stock, and with such a weak solution, that wasn't possible.

But he only smiled at Neji and stored the jar safely in his satchel. He wasn't a priest, but perhaps he could look up the incantation to bless some more water online. It wouldn't be as strong as his original stock, but it might be at least as strong as the jar Neji had provided him with.

After storing the holy water, Sasuke gave a glance at the clock. "Well, it's been about an hour. Do we want to-?"

"There's no need."

Sasuke swung around to find the source of the voice that had spoken, and he saw Naruto standing next to the window with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and an introspective look on his face.

"Ah, Naruto, there you are," Sasuke said briskly. "I was wondering where you'd disappeared off to. We're getting ready to-"

"I said, there's no need. Lee's fine."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as Naruto's words sunk in. "How would you know?" Taking in his disheveled appearance and guilty countenance, it suddenly hit him. "You snuck out, didn't you?!"

Naruto's apologetic wince was enough to tell Sasuke that he was right, and a feeling of betrayal stuck him. Of course, Naruto was his own person and not beholden to Sasuke to make all his decisions for him, but they had made an agreement to go together after the hour was up. Though, Sasuke supposed, this was how everyone else must feel when he always went off on his own. It was a bitter taste of his own medicine.

Shikamaru was the one to break the silence. "How was Lee?"

"He was… absolutely fine." Naruto shook his head in amazement. "He and Gaara were sitting down on the sand, and both of them were laughing. I don't know how he did it."

"He could do it because Lee possesses something the rest of us here lack." Shikamaru cast a quick glance out of the corner of his eye at Sasuke. "An untainted heart and the inability to discriminate. By expecting the best of someone, he unconsciously brings those pieces to the surface. It's his superpower, for want of a better word."

Sasuke had been trying, he really had. Deep breaths, counting to ten, trying to picture calming images in his mind- but none of it was working. Something snapped inside him and he couldn't take it any more, so he stalked forward and tried to grab Shikamaru's collar, but his hand passed right through the ghost and he was left foolishly off-balance.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke righted himself and spat, "I am done with your shit, Shikamaru! And don't try and tell me you don't know what I'm talking about, because you sure as hell do!"

"Woah, woah! Lay off him, Sasuke! What's gotten into you?" Neji tried to jump in between the two glares colliding off each other and causing sparks of menace to decorate the room, but Sasuke unapologetically shoved him out of the way.

"Stay out of this, Neji! I know you've been too distracted by the carrots he's been dangling in front of you to pay attention to what he's actually been doing, but I have! And I am sick and tired of all the things he does!"

Shikamaru's eyes were filled with a quiet, dangerous intent. "And what, pay tell, have I done?"

"Act out your little farce of standing by the sidelines!" Sasuke fumed. "You insist on pretending like you're too lazy to even breathe in our directions, but everyone knows your hands are dirtier than all of ours combined!"

"Sasuke!" Neji started forward again, but this time, Shikamaru swung his arm up block his forward momentum without breaking eye contact with Sasuke.

"If you don't like my methods," Shikamaru said, coldly and clearly with a clip to his speech that Sasuke had never heard before, "Then perhaps you should stop relying on them."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke gritted out angrily.

"Much as we pretend to hate how each other operates," Shikamaru said with steel in his eyes and cut glass in his voice, "We are too alike for that hate to be truly real. What exists between us, therefore, is more akin to a rivalry, and not a hatred. And why? Because we use the same methods."

"You lie!" Sasuke hissed, grabbing for Shikamaru's collar haul him forward, and this time it was corporeal and he succeeded in bringing them almost nose to nose.

"You only wish!" Shikamaru fumed. "What do you accuse me of all the time? Manipulation. Well, buddy, you use the same manipulation, and what's more, you rely on me and my methods of manipulation in your oh-so-special I'm-alone-and-the-most-important-player plans! Why did you send me with Neji yesterday? Not just because he didn't know the way - you could have easily given him a map - but because you were relying on me to keep him from running after you!"

"That's not-" Sasuke started to retort, but Shikamaru stabbed a finger into the center of his chest.

"Don't you even think of denying it, because that's not the only time it's happened. I kept Kiba and Shino from following us to the beach and stopped Naruto from being a dumbass and following you when you confronted the Akatsuki!"

"Hey! I'm not a dumbass!" Naruto interjected from the sidelines.

"Can it, Naruto! This is my fight!" Shikamaru snapped. "Anyway, my point is this: I have saved your ass more than once using _my methods_ , so maybe you should stop casting blame around on everyone except yourself and accept that you're just as guilty of manipulation as I am. And if you can't admit it, I think our paths will part here."

The hard glint in Shikamaru's eyes, the steel in his voice, the determination in his gaze and the disgust in the curl of his upper lip- they all came as an unpleasant surprise to Sasuke, but one he kicked himself for not having seen coming. The two of them had been able to coexist peacefully for a while, but in the end they were just too similar and too different at the same time to get along. Both unwavering alphas and natural leaders who valued intelligence over brute strength, but with a different set of morals and a different sense of self, their conflicting opinions only exacerbated by the differences in the eras of their upbringing- there was simply no way they could have been friends for long, if at all.

The knowledge brought Sasuke no sadness, just a selfish and guilty sense of relief that he wouldn't have to deal with Shikamaru anymore. He could go about this the way he had always done it: quickly, deftly, with acute sharpness of mind and a quiet determination. And alone.

Alone.

Without the aid of the phantoms.

Without Naruto.

That thought made Sasuke falter, but only for the most infinitesimal of moments. He cast his gaze in Naruto's direction and locked eyes with him, noting the fear he say there. It wasn't like the fear of before, being afraid of some person, of hurt and pain, of something tangible. This fear was intangible: the fear of losing someone you cared about.

The look in Naruto's eyes was begging him not to say anything, to accept Shikamaru's claims and stay, but Sasuke found a shield of ice had crept around his heart when he hadn't noticed, and it was impervious to the raw emotion flung desperately at its hard exterior. Ice was his life; it was in his blood and his eyes, his voice and words, and every gesture he made. He wasn't deserving of a warmth like Naruto.

"Fine," Sasuke said with cold detachment, feeling his body freeze over as he slowly looked back to Shikamaru. "Let us part ways here. It seems as if I can _manipulate_ no further use out of you, so I will cast you aside like the expendable garbage you are."

Even Neji winced at the frozen daggers in Sasuke voice, and Naruto shrank back with a look of unbelieving betrayal on his face. Only Shikamaru remained unaffected, glaring back at him with disdain.

"Cast us away? Oh, that's rich. Well, if that's how you justify your actions to yourself so you can sleep at night, so be it. You won't have to bother with us ever again. It'll be everything you've ever wanted, Sasuke: you'll be all alone, no one to argue with you, no one to dispute your claims, no one to have a different opinion than you… and no one to hear your cries for help." Shikamaru turn around sharply and started floating toward the wall. "Come, Naruto. We're leaving."

But Naruto remained frozen as Shikamaru floated past him, his face still showing a pitiful expression of stunned horror. Spinning back around, Shikamaru spat, "Naruto! Wake up! We're going!"

Without a word or a deviation in his expression, Naruto turned around slowly and floated through the window, leaving the room behind him somehow chillier than it had been. Shikamaru made as if to follow him, but stopped just before he ghosted through the window and turned back.

"You know, the first time I played chess with you, I realized something: that you weren't entirely whole. But as time went on, you grew better, and I thought you might have a chance of truly living. But congratulations, Sasuke. For the first time in a long, long time, I have been proven wrong. You're fractured, Sasuke. And you always will be."

"Get out," Sasuke growled icily, pointing to the wall Naruto had just disappeared through.

"Fine by me." Shikamaru eyes narrowed dangerously. "But don't expect to cross paths with us ever again. I protect my family, Sasuke. And now it's time for you to protect yours."

And then he was gone, melting away as if he'd never existed. Even the faint presence of his aura soon faded away from Sasuke's range of perception, leaving him, for a moment, almost able to lie to himself and say that there were no such things as ghosts and the whole summer thus far had been an elaborate hallucination caused by stress and the shock of finding himself in an unfamiliar environment.

It was impossible for Sasuke to tell how long he stood there, staring at the blank wall as if it held the answers to the universe, but he might have stood there for a long time yet had Neji's anger not boiled over, causing him to swing a fist at the side of Sasuke's head without warning.

Sasuke ducked the fist with ease, having been trained physically while Neji had not, but it threw him off balance, mentally as well as physically. Pressing his advantage while Sasuke was showing a momentary sign of weakness, Neji lunged at him again, but this time Sasuke caught his fist, bringing him to a grinding halt.

"What the hell is your problem?" Neji almost screamed, his hair in his face and his eyes full of an angry fervor. It was, Sasuke had to admit, the most upset he had ever seen the Hyuuga.

"What the hell is my problem? What the hell is your problem?!" Sasuke spat, grappling with Neji until they stood almost nose to nose. "What the fuck kind of lies has that cheating ghost been filling your head with that you'd believe his shitty excuses?"

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Neji yelled, shaking Sasuke and himself in the process. "Sasuke, this isn't like you! Please, just tell me what's wrong!"

"I've just finally gotten fed up with everything and everyone and decided not to pull my punches!" Sasuke exploded. "Is that so hard to believe? That I've given up on being politically correct? Because it shouldn't! You should've seen this coming a long time ago."

Neji stepped back a single, small step, the look on his face almost akin to a sad horror. "No. It's not hard to believe. I just thought you had a little more dignity than this."

Before Sasuke could formulate a suitable reply to that broken jab, there was a knock at the door, and all of a sudden, he was filled with a blinding, white-hot flash of murderous rage. He didn't know who it was, but whoever was on the other side of that door was going to die for daring to disturb his railings! Even if it was Sakura! Especially if it was Sakura, that nosy bitch.

Shoving Neji away from him, Sasuke stalked toward the door and yanked it open viciously, fully expecting to paint the hallway the same shade of red as the color clouding the corners of his vision, but was stopped but the sudden realization that this person was not Sakura, or anyone else that he recognized from the Hokage, for that matter.

It was a tall, lanky boy, a young man, really, in his early twenties, but his hair was, curiously, a shade of silver, like an old man's. A pair of wire-rimmed glasses with circular lenses sat perched on his nose, giving him a kind of scholarly, disarming air, but his dark eyes were quick and sharp.

Drawing himself up, Sasuke spat with as much venue as he could muster, "And who are you?"

The young man appeared taken aback by the rough nature of Sasuke's verbal attack, but he squared his shoulders nervously to speak. "I'm Kabuto. I don't think we've met before, but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to keep it down; this is an inn, and some of the other guests here are complaining about the amount of noise you're making."

"Is that all?" Sasuke sneered.

Kabuto gave a single blink in surprise. "Y-yes, that's all, I think."

"Good. Then you can run along and tell them they can enjoy their peace and quiet, because we're leaving for the rest of the day. Come, Neji."

Sasuke swept past the stunned Kabuto without even checking if Neji was following along after him. He knew that the other boy wouldn't like being called along like some kind of servant, but he would like being left alone even less. But Sasuke didn't care about any of that. Now was the time to focus on the issue at hand. Now was the time for progress to be made.

And the ice surrounding his heart thickened and froze solid, making it easier for the black spot that resided deep within to gain purchase and grow.


	27. Hollow Eyes

In all the years Itachi had spent in the psychiatric ward, he had never once felt any desire to be free. Perhaps it was a result of his blindness and the chafing of his inability to take care of himself against his once-prideful personality, or perhaps it was a side effect of the guilt he still felt. Whatever the reason was, Itachi found that he was evaluating himself late into the night every day without even meaning to. He had been a medical student himself once; why hadn't he come to the conclusion Kisame had drawn on his own terms? And why had he been content to live like this for almost ten years, clinging blindly - no pun intended - to the illusion of padded white walls?

The question caused Itachi more mental stress than he had felt in all his years of incarceration, bringing up another, more troubling one: did he even want to leave this place? After all those years of solitude and confinement, could he integrate himself back into society? Was the lure of the sun against his pale, starved skin worth it?

Such mysteries of life as these were the stuff and volume of Itachi's musings these days. They consumed his waking hours and plagued his restless nights, causing him to toss and turn in his bed and occasionally wake in a cold sweat, leaving him more exhausted than when he went to sleep. Gradually, the lack of restful sleep began to wear on Itachi, until one morning, he said the hell with it and didn't get out of bed.

Itachi had woken up close to midnight the night before, sweating and shivering at the same time and tearing at the bandage that covered up his ruined eyes. Before he realized what was happening, he tore off both it and his soaking shirt, throwing them blindly away from him.

It took only a few seconds for Itachi to realize what he'd done, but by then, it was too late; they were already out of his reach, and he felt more naked than he had felt in a long time.

The hunching blades of his shoulders stuck out into the air like skeletal flags, proof that his once proud body had become emancipated from confinement. Terrified wandering fingers stole, trembling, up the sides of his face until they came to the edge of the scar trailing down his cheek from his eyes. The lumpy scar tissue stretched from his right cheekbone, across his nose, and through his left eyebrow, ending almost into his hairline. Slowly, afraid to touch the skin he had kept hidden from himself for years, Itachi traced the scar until the tip of his finger found his empty eye socket. A gag of revulsion tore from his lips, shaking his body, and he dropped his hands from his face.

Why did Itachi even want to go back outside? He was hideous, he was a monster - he'd never be able to show his face in society again. Even Kisame - the man who had accepted Itachi's reputation of insanity without hesitation - yes, even Kisame would shy away from the grinning mockery of a death's head staring out from Itachi's face.

Waves of unadulterated self-disgust rolling through him, Itachi allowed himself to collapse on his bed, sightless eyes sockets staring toward the wall. He stayed this way until the handle of the door turned hours later, letting in the one person Itachi ached to see, and couldn't bear to face at the same time.

"So, I guess the cooks are on a sadistic streak because, once again, they have given me oatmeal- wait, what's wrong? Itachi? Is something the matter?"

Itachi curled up a little further on himself. "...can you hand me my bandage?"

"What's going on? Itachi, please! Talk to me!"

"Just…" Itachi clenched his hands into fists. "Hand it to me? Please?"

There was a clatter as the tray Kisame was holding was set down on the table, then a rustle of cloth as he walked closer to the bed. "Where is it?"

"I don't know; I'm blind! Just find it and give it to me!"

A hand settled on Itachi's back, and he jumped like a nervous cat whose tail had been stepped on and slammed his palms over his scars.

"Don't touch me!"

But the hand didn't leave. Instead, it started moving in soothing circles on Itachi's back.

Quietly but with strength, Kisame voice cut through the darkness surrounding Itachi. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything," Itachi snapped, but his whole body trembled as if on a mission to disprove his claims.

The bed dipped under Itachi as Kisame's weight settled next to him, and the single hand on his back changed to a pair of strong arms wrapped solidly around his bare torso.

"Nightmare?"

"Of sorts."

"Was it bad?"

"Pretty bad."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No, not really."

Itachi only removed his hands from his face when Kisame placed his chin on top of Itachi's head and there was no chance of him seeing the ruined mess that once was a man. Tentatively, Itachi reached around Kisame to hug him back, but his shoulders were so wide that he had trouble touching his fingers together.

Like before, Itachi found Kisame's quiet to be an unnerving thing that clamored to be filled by words, and before long he felt the confession bubbling up in his throat, threatening to spill out. Careful not to let his empty eye socket brush up against Kisame's collarbone, Itachi laid his cheek against Kisame's chest so he could feel his words vibrate up through his body.

"What was I thinking, Kisame? I can never leave here, not like this. After what I did to myself, the sight of my face would make small children - and some grown adults - cry. The only place I could ever live peacefully is somewhere like this."

Kisame arms tightened around Itachi almost imperceptibly, and that was the only warning Itachi got before he pulled back abruptly and seized his shoulders, giving his a rough shake. "Don't think like that!"

"Don't look at me!" Itachi cried, trying to cover his face, but Kisame stopped him.

"Wake up, Itachi! There is more to a man than his appearance, and more to a face than the scars upon it!"

Something in Kisame's tome alerted Itachi that there was more weight behind his statement than casual observation, and he stopped struggling and tilted his head up to Kisame's searching gaze, which he could feel burning against his fallow cheeks.

"Kisame, are you… I mean, do you… have scars, too? Like me?"

Kisame's grip on Itachi's shoulders tightened and it was a long moment before he spoke again.

"I have… a little confession to make about why I took this job. I had three job offers almost identical to this one, but this was the one I chose. And do you know why?"

"No," Itachi whispered, almost afraid to breathe.

"Because the patient in the job I took was blind, and I was hoping… well, I don't know what I was hoping for, but I wanted a sense of anonymity, somewhere where I wouldn't be judged for how I look. Because judgement is everywhere."

"Why?" Itachi choked out. "What makes you the same as me?"

Kisame didn't answer in words, but let his hands travel down from Itachi's shoulders until they were holding his hands, which he slowly brought up to his neck. From all the times Kisame had embraced Itachi before, he knew that his caretaker favored high collared shirts, but he'd never wondered or bothered to ask why. The question was now answered, however, when Kisame led Itachi's hands up to rest against the skin of his neck under his collar, and Itachi felt hard ridges of raised flesh morbidly decorating what should have been smooth skin.

Kisame stood still, hardly breathing, as Itachi's fingers explored what his empty eyes had lost the power to see. There were four scars on each side of his neck, perfectly symmetrical and too cleanly purposeful to have been an accident.

"Who did this to you?" Itachi asked quietly.

The snort Kisame gave was almost derisive. "You mean you're not going to assume I made them myself?"

"Please; I have a self-inflicted scar. I know what they feel like, and this isn't it. Now, are you going to tell me who gave them to you or not?"

Itachi felt Kisame throat jump as he swallowed. "You're a strange man, you know that?"

"That's what they told me when I got here," Itachi joked weakly, and Kisame's grip on his shoulders tightened.

"Don't say things like that," he admonished quietly.

"Then tell me who did it," Itachi pressed.

The scars on the sides of Kisame's throat jumped again as he swallowed once more. "Fine, but it's not going to be pretty."

"There's not a single one of us in this world that could claim their story to be entirely pretty."

The words seemed to draw boldness from Kisame, and he drew himself upright and began to speak.

"I was… eighteen when I got the scars. My family's business wasn't exactly 'savory', so to speak, and it was this, indirectly, that caused it to happen. For generations before my, family had been high-ranking members of a gang involved in organized crime in New York City. I mean, they did everything - embezzlement, racketeering, dealing, murder - you name it, we did it. Even as a young boy at the tender age of eight, by father recognized my talents and set me to be trained. I excelled at everything, physical and mental, but there was one talent, one unique skill, I had that surpassed all the others: when I was just twelve years old, I killed a man with my bare hands."

Whatever Itachi had been expecting, this certainly wasn't it. His fingers slipped away from Kisame's neck of their own accord, and Kisame caught them with his own hand.

"I'm sorry. Was that too much?"

"No, no, it's fine," Itachi gasped out, twining their fingers together. "I'm no stranger to death, after all. It just took me by surprise."

"You sure you're okay?" Kisame asked uncertainly. "I've never told someone this before, so I don't know if I'm doing it right."

"You're doing fine." Itachi reached forward blindly, finding Kisame's cheek almost by accident and tracing the line of his jaw until he found his hairline, shorter and spikier than he had expected it to be, then dropping back down to the scars on his neck. "Just be honest, and I'll understand."

"Okay," Kisame almost whispered. "Well, after I … killed … that man, my father saw the potential in me and trained me to be his personal assassin. I don't know how many people I killed for him - dozens, hundreds, maybe - but it was never enough. There was always someone else to kill, someone else who'd broken the rules and needed to be made an example of, or someone dangerous to him to be taken care of, and I was the only one he looked to, the only one he trusted. But the worst part was this: I liked it! I was good at what I did and was proud of that, and I liked the feelings of accomplishment I got when my father thanked me for a job well done. I knew he didn't even like me, that he was raising me to be his tool and nothing more, that everyone else hated me because they didn't want to show weakness and fear me, but I couldn't bring myself to care."

"You were only a child," Itachi soothed, but Kisame only gave a humorless laugh.

"I knew what I was doing. I kept following my father's orders, killing anyone he pleased, until the day he sent me after a man I wasn't ready to take on. He was a leader in a rival gang, and they captured me easily and held me for ransom. My father, of course, wouldn't pay it, so he gave me these scars as a warning. Eventually, my father's men came for me, and broke me out, but on their own terms. The message was clear: I was not a comrade in their eyes, I was simply a tool, and once I outlived my usefulness, I would be disposed of. I had been given a second chance, a way to redeem myself in the eyes of the gang, but I didn't take it. I took my little sister and ran as fast and as far away as I could. I took care of her and tried to put myself through college at the same time- but you know how well that turned out."

"So you made it out, then?"

"Barely." Itachi felt Kisame shudder through their connection. "I have the feeling sometimes that they're still watching me, and I never really escaped their clutches. Gangs like that never really let you go."

All of a sudden, Itachi let out a little giggle. "I know it's terrible, but I have to laugh because that's almost like what happened to me. My family isn't a gang, but we have a similar hierarchical structure. My father sent me in to deal with a ghost I wasn't ready to face, and this," he gestured to the room around them at large, "is the end result of that. In that way… we're a lot alike."

Itachi felt Kisame's hand settle gently on his face. "More than you know."

Kisame's thumb rubbed a soft contact against Itachi's cheek, brushing against the bottom edge of his scar. Abruptly, Itachi realized that Kisame had tricked him into keeping his face uncovered this whole time, and he blushed scarlet and tried to jerk away to bury his face back in his hands, but Kisame prevented him from moving.

"Not now. Let me look at you. I let you touch mine, didn't I?"

Trembling, Itachi bit his lip in unsure consideration. Kisame had let him touch his scars, so wasn't it the right thing to do let him understand Itachi's in return? But the louder, more terrified part of his mind screamed that Kisame had eyes; why couldn't he satisfy his curiously just looking at him? Why did he have to bare himself to the unknown, the thing that frightened him the most?

As if sensing his hesitation, Kisame started to draw his hand away. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked-"

Without meaning to, Itachi grabbed Kisame's hand and kept it on his face. When he realized what he'd reflexively done, it was already too late and he couldn't take the movement back, and he felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment. "I don't… It's not that… I mean, you can touch them if you want."

"You sure?"

 _No_. But Itachi only gave a slight nod, and Kisame leaned forward to get a better look at Itachi's face as he traced his fingers over the scars.

It was strange to think of someone else touching what had used to be an unexemplary part of his face and was now the most private place on his body. Having nothing but the bandage pressed against his skin for years had made the scar sensitive almost to the point of being ticklish, and Itachi was having a hard time sitting still without flinching as Kisame explored the area with his rough fingertips. Kisame didn't dip his fingers into the empty eye sockets - which Itachi was eternally grateful for; that would have been way too much - but his fingertips traced around the edges in their quest of discovery, skirting around the forbidden land without touching it.

Kisame's nose brushed against Itachi's suddenly, and he jumped, not realizing how close the other men had leaned in toward him. The shared jolt dissolved some of the mounting tension between the two, and, unable to stop themselves, dissolved into almost identical giggles.

"Sorry," Kisame apologized, still with some laughter in his voice, getting off the bed. The removal of the weight caused the mattress to spring up under Itachi, and he waited patiently as Kisame's footsteps moved a couple of paces out, then back. "Here's your bandage."

Itachi held his hand out to receive it, and after a few seconds' hesitation, Kisame deposited the scrap of cloth in his hand. "Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I did anything right, either."

Tightening his hand around the cloth bandage, Itachi said, "I hate it when people apologize for things that aren't their fault."

A harsh chuckle came from across the room, where Kisame had retreated to retrieve Itachi's shirt. "Duly noted."

A smile playing on the corner of Itachi's mouth, he considered the bandage in his hand. After what had happened, it seemed a shame to put it back on, but he knew he needed to. There was, after all, a reason past aesthetics for why he was wearing it: the doctors who'd performed the surgery that had removed the mangled remains of his eyes before they could get infected and spread the disease through his body had tried to close the holes with skin grafts, but his body had rejected the artificial covering, and they'd been forced to operate again, this time taking even his eyelids away and leaving him with the gaping eye sockets he now had. The result was that Itachi's immune system was constantly attacking the healing skin, leaving him with perpetually half-healed and tender scar tissue on the inside of his eye sockets. The phenomenon had stumped the doctors, but Itachi knew the reason why: it was his Sharingan trying constantly to fix itself, but without a target, its aggressive action was forced into damage instead of healing. The bandage protected the tender skin from getting damaged or too dry.

With a sigh, Itachi pulled the bandage over his empty eye sockets and started wrapping it around his head, but slowed and stopped as an idea struck him. It really was horrible to cover up the most defining aspect of his humanity with the sterile trappings of a hospital. Carefully, he removed the bandage, centered it over his eyes, and tied it behind his head with two sharp movements. The result was similar to a bandana tied like a headband or sweatband, and Itachi rather liked it.

Kisame's footsteps came closer to the bed again, and he paused slightly when he saw Itachi's new look, but didn't comment on it. "I got your shirt. How the hell'd you get it all the way on the other side of the room?"

"I threw it, obviously." Itachi held both hands out in front of him, and Kisame deposited the shirt in his grasp. It was still slightly damp and reeked of sweat, and Itachi wrinkled his nose up at the offending garment. "Actually, I think I'll get myself a new one. This one smells worse than a landfill in the summer."

He stood up and tried to skirt around the obstacle in his path that was Kisame, but his caretaker grabbed his arm and forced him to sit back down on the bed. "I'll get you another one."

"I can get it myself," Itachi griped. "I'm blind, not an invalid."

"And this is my job, and I'm overpaid for it. Just let me get you the shirt."

"Fine." Itachi crossed his arms and legs with a huff. "Do whatever you want. I don't care."

Kisame's footsteps sounded strange on the floor as he walked over to the shelf - soft plastic, of course; wouldn't want the lunatic to do anything rash - until Itachi remembered that the area was covered in a soft carpeting. "Why'd you throw it?" He asked, the sound of his voice reaching Itachi's ears mixed with the sound of rustling cloth.

"Oh, you know, nightmares, waking up in a cold sweat, the irrational feeling of suffocation - the usual. And make sure you bring me one with a rounded neck hole. The v-necks are for sleeping in."

"Then why did the shirt you were wearing have a rounded neck hole?"

"Because sometimes I'm lazy and don't bother to change my clothes before I go to bed. Don't act like a saint and pretend like you've never done it before."

That drew a laugh out of Kisame. "Fair enough." He walked back to the bed and handed Itachi a shirt. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Itachi made as if to draw the shirt over his head, but Kisame caught his arm.

"Wait a second."

"Why?"

"I just… want to look at you a little longer."

Itachi gave a delicate snort. "I'm fairly certain I'm not exactly what you'd call an 'eyeful', now am I?"

"That's not what I meant." Kisame reached out and touched Itachi's cheek again, letting his thumb brush teasingly over the bridge of his nose. "I want to be able to remember you like this, vulnerable but strong at the same time. Your tenacity amazes me."

"I know that was meant as a compliment, but I can't help but take offense at the tone of surprise."

"As does your wit," Kisame added with a chuckle. "You're not the man everyone else has you pegged to be."

"Good, because I'd hate to be _that_ crazy motherfucker."

Itachi could almost feel Kisame shaking his head in disapproval at his comment. "Whatever the case," he said, his rich voice going deeper than normal and practically melting in Itachi's ears, "I'm glad we had this moment here to ourselves, just the two of us." He reached his other hand up and traced along the pathway of Itachi's scar, following it despite the cloth barrier between it and him. "I've memorized this right here, its shape and form. I'll never forget it."

Itachi wanted to say something snarky and witty, perhaps a sarcastic apology for the nightmares surely to come from having such an image burned into one's corneas, but the words died in his throat when he realized that Kisame was being completely serious. Swallowing harshly against the lump suddenly forming in his throat, Itachi instead reached a hand up to the horribly perfect lines on Kisame's neck and said, "And I'll never forget these, either."

Kisame leaned forward and touched his forehead to Itachi's gently, and they sat there quietly breathing each other's breath until Kisame broke the silence.

"I know I shouldn't, but I really want to kiss you right now."

"Then why don't you?" Itachi challenged breathlessly, fisting the material of Kisame's shirt collar in his hand.

"Because I'd get in trouble, then I'd get fired, and then I'd never get to see you again." Contrary to his words, Kisame's face drifted closer to Itachi's, his breath fanning over Itachi's lips like a light breeze.

"I have a simple solution," Itachi said mischievously, wrapping his arms around Kisame's neck. "Don't get caught."

"That's easy for you to say, but not so easy for me to do."

Kisame's nose brushed Itachi's, sending a delicious shiver down his spine. "What are you talking about? It's simple, really. All you have to do is make a plan and follow through with it." To prove his point, Itachi pressed his lips delicately to Kisame's for a few seconds, then pulled back. "See? Even I can do it. I thought about doing it, then I did it. It's as easy as that."

"Don't temp me," Kisame growled.

"Don't? My dear, that's what I've been trying to do all along."

The words were barely out of his mouth before Kisame grabbed the back of Itachi's neck and captured his lips is a searing kiss that drove even the concept of cold out of his mind. It had been a while since he'd been kissed like this, his mind idly wondered, since before the Orochimaru incident at least. And boy, had he missed it.

Clinging tightly to Kisame, Itachi vehemently kissed him back as he bared down against the young Uchiha. But Itachi wasn't about to let him take control completely, so he pushed back until they were almost equal, daring Kisame to try and dominate him. In return, Kisame slipped a hand down Itachi's back with just enough pressure to make him inadvertently moan into Kisame's mouth. The slip of control embarrassed Itachi but seemed to embolden Kisame, for he demanded entrance into a mouth that was, after some prodding, willing to relinquish its solitude. One hand on Itachi's lower back and the other at his neck, Kisame completely took control of him through his open mouth, and Itachi lost the need to battle him for dominance.

The flames between them were blazing hot and almost out of control, the sounds muted but strong and the passion more than skin deep, and then-!

And then they sprung away from each other as abruptly as they'd connected at the warning sound of the handle on the door turning inwards. Kisame stood up from the bed quickly and Itachi seized his shirt and started pulling it up over his head, instinctively starting in the middle of a conversation.

"-and again, thank you so much for looking at that. I wasn't sure if I hit it hard enough to bruise when I took that tumble yesterday and it was a little sore last night, so I was a little worried that I'd hurt myself."

Luckily, Kisame picked up on the thread of conversation as easily as Itachi had. "Well, don't worry yourself about it; it's hardly even red, and there's no scratches. You're just as fine as could be."

"Itachi."

It was the voice of Itachi's father.

Completely ignoring him, Itachi stood up and walked to the table, turning to Kisame as he sat down. "So, what'd you say was for breakfast this morning? Oatmeal again?"

"Yeah…" Kisame said, trailing off as his focas almost tangibly changed back and forth from Itachi to his father. "But they sent some sugar and cinnamon today, so it shouldn't taste quite as bad as the last time. Though it's probably gone a little cold sitting there."

"I don't mind." Itachi ghosted his fingertips across the tabletop until they reached the tray, then he pulled it toward himself. The oatmeal was covered, he discovered, and he pulled the metal cover off and cast it aside, action sending a plume of sickly healthy-smelling steam directly into his face. The urge to wrinkle his nose assaulted Itachi, but he pushed it aside, grabbed the spoon, and started shoveling the messy meal into his mouth. "It's better than that weird gritty thing they served the other day. By the way, how's the weather outside today? Is it raining?"

"How'd you know?"

"Your shoes squeaked a little bit on the floor when you first got here, so either it was raining or you stepped in a puddle on the way."

"Impressive."

"I try."

"Itachi." His father's voice broke into the conversation, but Itachi ignored him again.

"Hey, I've been wondering what's been going on in politics lately. It's 2016, right? Isn't that an election year? How's the candidates for president?"

"Abysmal." Kisame reached past Itachi and grabbed something from the table, then handed him a napkin just in time to prevent a bit of oatmeal dripping off his spoon and landing on his shirt. "I'm almost afraid to vote."

"You're a Democrat, right?"

"How'd you know?"

"According to demographic research, it's statistically the most likely option. What's wrong with the Democratic candidate?"

"Itachi!" There was anger in his father's voice now.

"Itachi?" Kisame asked uncertainly, and Itachi grabbed his arm in a half-begging, half-ordering grip.

"What's wrong with the Democratic candidate?" He repeated, trying to convey through his grip the panic inside him.

"There's nothing particularly wrong, it's just that they're not a great option, you know?"

Itachi's father suddenly switched his tactic. "Kisame!"

There was no way Kisame could ignore a direct statement from his employer, Itachi knew, so it was with a sinking heart that he heard Kisame turn towards his father.

"Yes, Mr. Uchiha?"

The gritting of teeth was almost audible in his voice. "Might I have a moment to speak alone with the patient?"

Itachi's grip tightened on Kisame's arm, and he hesitated, then said, "That's not really allowed…"

A wash of pure relief flowed through Itachi, but was cut short by his father's next words, dripping in superiority.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, Mr. Uchiha, I know who you are," Kisame answered with was a slight tremor in his voice.

"Then you know that when I ask to be left alone with the patient, you will leave me alone with the patient. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Uchiha, it's clear-" Kisame started to respond, but Itachi cut him off quietly.

"Please don't leave."

Itachi turned his face up to wear he knew Kisame was looking down on him, hoping that his facial expression could convince him to make a stand against his father. The one thing he couldn't do right now, after digging up all the earliest memories of his incarceration, was be alone with the man who had put him here.

Eventually, Itachi felt Kisame square his shoulders and take in a deep breath, and he gave a tiny exhalation of relief.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Uchiha, but in my profession the needs of the patient come before anything else, so I'm obliged to abide by his wishes. If you wish to speak to him alone, you'll have to come at a time when I'm not on duty."

"I am the one paying your salary, Kisame," he said in a dangerous tone.

"I'm aware of that."

A long pause of compressed emotion flooded the room, making the inside of Itachi's mouth taste foul. Or it could have been the leftover flavor if the oatmeal; it was impossible to tell.

Finally, Itachi's father snapped, "Fine. But what gets said in this room is never to be repeated, you hear me?"

"My entire job is steeped in confidentiality," Kisame replied without missing a beat. "You don't have to worry about me spilling secrets."

"Good." Itachi's father took a few - squeaking - steps toward the table. "Itachi?"

Itachi refused to even tilt his face in the direction of his father.

"Itachi!" This was accompanied with a heavy fist slamming into the table, jumping Itachi.

"What?!" Itachi snapped back, pulling his arms into his chest in a subconscious gesture of self preservation. "I don't really want to talk to you right now, Father."

"And why is that?" He almost hissed with rage.

"Because, for the first time since you locked me up here, I have someone willing to have an actual discussion with me rather than just preaching at me, so I've come to realize how mediocre my life really was before he came. So forgive me if I'm not exactly ecstatic that you came to visit me. You see, that tends to happen when you insult someone's intelligence for years on end."

"I've taken care of you and kept you from hurting yourself or anyone else for the past eight years, and this is the thanks I get?" Itachi's father seethed, stalking back towards the door. "I simply come in here to tell you something in my infinite benevolence, and you turn on me like a rabid dog!"

"Like a starved dog," Itachi muttered quietly under his breath.

Unfortunately, not quietly enough. "What did you just say?!"

"Nothing," Itachi sneered right back. "What did you want to tell me?"

"Hmph." Itachi's father gave a distasteful noise. "Just that my wife and I will be leaving soon to check on … something, so I won't be visiting for a while. Not that you'll miss me, you ungrateful bastard."

"And just for that comment, I think won't miss you, you arrogant sod. Tell _my mother_ to have a wonderful trip, if you can even manage to stand looking her in the eye while speaking of me. Wish my baby brother well when you see him."

The door handle clattered and Itachi father angrily yanked it open. "I don't have to stand here and listen to the uncivil ramblings of a madman!"

"Uncivil?" Itachi stood up himself, slamming both palms flat against the surface of the table and almost upsetting his tray. "I've been nothing but civil to you, and in the last few minutes alone, you've called me a madman, a bastard, and a rabid dog. And unless they changed the definition of the word civil since you locked me up in the madhouse, I think the uncivil one has been you."

"Goodbye, Itachi," his father said spitefully, then slammed the door with a harsh, resounding crash.

As soon as he was gone, Itachi collapsed back into his chair. "God, I hate him so much."

Kisame sat down in the chair opposite Itachi, righting the silverware he had upset with his hit. "Is he usually like that around you?"

"The arrogance, yes. The insults were new, though. Though it was the first time I'd fought back like that." A sense of hopelessness took over Itachi, and he laid his head down on the table. "What was I thinking, Kisame? He'll never let me go. I'm a blemish on the family name. I'm already legally dead; I'm just sitting here waiting for my actual death to catch up with me. I'll never see the sun again as long as I live."

"No!" Kisame siezed Itachi's chin and made him raise his head. "I will get you out of here! I made a promise that I would, and I'm not one to go back on promises. Don't you believe me?"

The dark queasiness in Itachi's stomach lightened at the words, and he couldn't help but feel hope at Kisame's statement, even as he tried to convince himself it wasn't possible so he wouldn't disppoint himself. "I believe that you'll try."

"Then that's good enough for me. Because I'll try, and then I'll succeed."

Perhaps, after all, a little hope now and then wasn't a bad thing.


	28. A Deceptive Decent

Sorry it's been so long, but I've been without a computer this summer that could upload. That being said, I never abandoned my story, so I've been working on it the whole summer and am now almost done! You should be able to expect about an update a day until at least the main story is done (epilogues may take a week). Thank you to everyone who has been reading my story and supporting me! It really means a lot to me!

Addi out

* * *

The place the Akatsuki had asked Sasuke and Neji to search through for clues was an old library outside of town, its walls covered in wards so airtight, no ghost would ever be able to go inside. It was housed in a shack in only slightly better repair than the old Akatsuki shack, but one that was abandoned long ago and now populated only by rats and mold spores.

The books themselves were all old, older than even the tomes of the comprehensive library of the Hyuuga family, and gave off the undeniable scent of long-dead memories pressed between the forgotten paged of abandoned books, which mixed sickeningly with the cloying scent of plaster dust and the mold that thrived in the humid atmosphere. The air inside the shack was thick with motes almost as large as the grains of sand on Gaara's beach that flurried about Sasuke and Neji's faces with every breath they exhaled and rose up in greater multitudes every time a book was closed violently or a new shelf disturbed. All in all, it was an abjectly miserable place to work.

Their background knowledge of the spectral world had been innumerably helpful in picking over the tomes and deciding which ones would be useful, so their search had gone much faster than the previous tenant of the old library, but still slower than they would have liked.

It took five full days for Sasuke and Neji to find something relevant to what they were actually looking for, five days of constant searching, of sleeping alone, of fending off Neji's glares and Sakura's anger and of wondering if he'd made the right choice. But Uchihas were made to be cold, so Sasuke froze his face and didn't let his feelings show.

Most of the books were handwritten records of strange occurrences and old legends made almost indecipherable by age, so Sasuke and Neji didn't make the effort to try and read the darker scrawl of the more recent legends or the ones pertaining to specific ghosts. Those legends were probably caused by the Kyuubi, but not pertaining to its conception, so Neji and Sasuke ruled those books out easily. Naruto had told Sasuke that the oldest ghost is Konoha was about two hundred years old, which, if he was at the oldest age possible before he would fade and the Kyuubi was introduced, freezing him in place in Konoha, placed the introduction of the Kyuubi in about the late nineteenth century. With this narrowed down, Sasuke and Neji could ignore a vast majority of the books to the front of the old shack, which saved them a lot of time, but also placed them where the dust was thickest. It got so bad that Sasuke ended up buying two bandanas from a street stall for himself and Neji to tie around their noses and mouths so they could actually breathe.

They found their first clue almost by accident. Sasuke and Neji had started with records from about the turn of the twentieth century and worked backwards from there, but on the fifth day they reached the very earliest records from the eighteen twenties, when the town had been founded, without having found anything of value. At this discovery, Sasuke angrily slammed the book he was holding shut, then immediately regretted his rash action when it sent a plume of dust into the air, causing both his and Neji's millionth coughing fit that day.

"Sasuke," Neji complained, trying unsuccessfully to wave the dust away from his bandana-clad face. "Was that really necessary?"

Sasuke didn't answer, just plopped down dejectedly on a rickety old wooden chair they had found in the back of the library-shack. "I can't believe we didn't find anything at all!" He mourned, pulling his bandana off of his face and shaking it to clear the dust from it. "Five days of work, and what do we have to show for it? Nothing."

"The Akatsuki's spy has been looking for three years," Neji pointed out, also pulling off his bandana momentarily to shake it clean. "It's unlikely, even with our expertise, to find something in less than a week they they couldn't find in three years. Buck up, Sasuke. We knew skimming through like this would be a long shot anyway."

"Yes," Sasuke admitted with a sour expression, "but I thought we'd have found at least _something_ , even if it was just the tiniest clue. We still have nothing to go on. And it was all boring stuff, too, not interesting at all! God, this was such a waste of time."

"True," Neji admitted, sitting down on the window ledge next to Sasuke. "The most interesting thing I found was this entry about a fox-breeding farm on an island that burned down, killing everyone except the daughter, who moved here. It was a really wealthy family, too, but the fire destroyed everything except the reputation of the family. Apparently they weren't very well liked. It was kinda like reading one of those dramatic little novels - what are they called? Penny dreadfuls?"

Something about the story struck Sasuke as familiar, and a frown slipped onto his face as he tried to figure out where he might have heard it before. When he finally placed it, a sinking sensation took over his stomach, and he clenched his hands.

"Do you remember the name of the family?" He asked, trying not to let his mounting suspicion and panic show in his face or voice.

"Oozey-something, maybe? Sorry, I don't quite remember." Neji shrugged in apology.

"Was it Uzumaki?"

Neji's eyes lit up in recognition. "Yeah, that sounds about right. And the girl's name was Kushina, I believe."

A million things started running through Sasuke's head, but the loudest of all was the rumbling suspicion that it was too convenient to be true, but also to convenient not to be true. _It couldn't be,_ his mind cried with delirious disbelief. _It couldn't have been this close to us the entire time!_

Standing abruptly, Sasuke barked, "Neji, does the Hyuuga family keep a list of all known families with some kind of generational gift?"

The sharply voiced question shocked Neji for a second, then he frowned. "Yes, we do. It's kind of a secret, though. Why do you ask?"

Sasuke ignored his question and asked another one of his own. "Do you have someone you could call to look up a name for you?"

"I can do one better: I have a copy of the list with me on my phone. All Hyuugas are required to bring it with them when they travel as a security precaution. Again, I ask: why?"

Sasuke locked gazed with Neji. "Because I want you to look up a name."

Neji's eyes grew wide with understanding and slight panic. "You don't think… You can't be serious!"

"I am."

"Why? What tipped you off?" Neji asked harshly.

"A few weeks ago, when I first came to Konoha, Naruto," - Sasuke choked slightly on the name - "told me something about his mother, how she came to Konoha after her entire family died in a fire, and how she was distrusted by the locals, not just for being rich, but because of something called the 'Uzumaki Fox Curse', something that Naruto still suffers in fear of, even though he doesn't know what it is."

"And you think this 'Fox Curse' is the Kyuubi?" Neji gasped.

"It's the only lead we have so far," Sasuke said a little regretfully. "I don't know what to think, but we don't have a choice if we want to get anywhere. Where's the book you read it in?"

"It's in my stack over there," Neji said, pointing to a large, tottering stack of books that looked almost ready collapse, and Sasuke almost groaned aloud. "It's a little smaller than the others and has a red cover, so it should be pretty easy for you to find while I look up the name."

Shaking his head, Sasuke reluctantly pulled his bandana mask back over his nose and mouth before diving into the stack of books as Neji pulled out his phone.

Twice, the stack almost fell over on top of Sasuke, but he managed to save it each time by way of some fancy footwork and contortion a circus acrobat would be proud of. Eventually, he spotted the spine of the book, which, of course, was buried underneath at least fifteen larger volumes. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Sasuke took hold of the book and pulled, yanking it out from underneath all the other books. For a few seconds, he held it triumphantly in his clutches, then the rest of stack toppled over almost in slow motion, sending up a veritable plume of dust and the sound of cracking book spines as it landed.

"Really, Sasuke?" Neji remarked pointedly with a single raised eyebrow.

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped. "I found it, and that's all that matters."

"So did I," Neji said, and Sasuke's stomach plummeted. "Uzumaki: a wealthy family originally from Japan that immigrated to the States and to Maine in the early seventeen hundreds. They bought a small island and started breeding foxes to sell for their fur, eventually cutting themselves off from all contact with the outside world because of their curse."

"This is it," Sasuke said quietly. "It can't not be it. Damn it! It's been in front of me the whole time!"

"You can't blame yourself," Neji interjected kindly, lowering his phone to his side. "You couldn't have known."

Sasuke ignored him and sat back down in the chair, passing a hand over his eyes. "Just keep reading."

Clearing his throat, Neji brought his phone back up to continue reading. "Where was I?... cutting themselves off … no, after that… ah, here we are! Their curse: one Uzumaki every generation, starting with the death of the previous cursed family member, becomes a magnet and a channel for spectral energy, drawing all ghosts in the area to him and strengthening them. In this way, they are the opposite of families like the Hyuuga and the Uchiha, whose goal is to help ghosts fade and set them to rest, because any ghost in prolonged contact with the Kyuubi, as the cursed individual is known, will find it impossible to fade."

Sasuke shot out of his chair and grabbed Neji's collar in fury. "You had that information this whole time and didn't tell me?!"

Pushing Sasuke away, Neji spat, "There's over three thousand families from all over the world catalogued in this list; I don't know every single one, especially those marked as having died out!"

"You could have at least had the foresight to look when you got here noticed how everything in this town has gone to shit!" Sasuke accused, stabbing an angry finger in Neji's face.

"Look, maybe your family isn't afraid of your little holy water and silver knife tricks getting leaked, but to a Hyuuga, information like this is our only weapon, so we guard it with our lives and don't whip it out at every little minor thing that comes our way!" Neji slapped Sasuke's hand away and glared at him. "Do you want to hear the rest of it or not?"

"Yes," Sasuke said tersely, sitting back down in the chair with a huff.

Clearing his throat slightly, Neji looked back down at his phone and continued reading. "In addition to increasing the number of ghosts in an area, the presence of a Kyuubi will increase the strength of the individual ghosts. Great caution should be used if a Kyuubi is detected, for his presence can exacerbate the powers of many types of dangerous ghosts and often draws in powerful spirits like a moth to flame. The Kyuubi can also jump start the process of creating the rare phantom by strengthening the spirit and mind of a specter. After death, the power of the Kyuubi flows to a relative of direct descent. The Uzumaki family is to be allowed their isolation and avoided at all costs. Note: bloodline died out in the early twentieth century. No known Uzumakis still exist today."

Sasuke had sprung back out of the chair and started pacing halfway through this speech. "Everything's making much mores sense now. When Naruto," - again, he flinched slightly at the name - "first told me about the so-called 'Fox Curse' of his family, he mentioned several things. The first was that his mother hadn't been allowed to take his father's name when she'd married him - she had to remain an Uzumaki - and likewise, Naruto had to take his mother's maiden name, not his father's. An unorthodox procedure by church standards of the time, but necessary because of the curse. And the unnatural fear the 'Curse' caused in the townsfolk: everyone knew about it, but no one knew just what it was. He found it strange, but it must have been the aura of the Kyuubi unconsciously turning people away."

"Even though we know the source of the Kyuubi now, it doesn't get us any closer to finding it," Neji pointed out. "Kushina's dead, Naruto's dead, the whole family's dead- it's a generational curse, Sasuke. There's no one left to be the Kyuubi."

Sasuke cleared a long space down the old library with a few well-placed shoves and started pacing back and forth with impunity, whirling with such abandon at each turn that he almost left the floor. "But it gives us something to work from. In the late nineteenth century, Kushina came to Konoha and she was the last Uzumaki alive, so it stands to reason that she must have been the Kyuubi at that point, correct?"

"It coincides with the first spike in spectral activity in Konoha, so that's a safe assumption."

"And she died in an accident over thirty years later with her husband and child," Sasuke mused. "With all the Uzumakis gone, where would a curse like that go? Would it just disappear?"

"That's unlikely." Neji folded his arms across his chest as he watched Sasuke pace. "With a curse as old as that one - probably at least ten generations or so - it would have gained an almost human-like ego. Curses like that don't just disappear; it'd have found something else to attach itself to."

"Like what?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

"Another person, most likely, but an inanimate object is also conceivable. It would depend on the situation and proximity to other people. If there was another person within a reasonable distance who was similar enough to the Uzumakis to be judged comparable, it would have jumped to them and started a new generational curse in that family, but without their knowledge. If there wasn't anyone suitable in range, it would have transferred itself to an object and latched on to the first person that touched it. Either way, it'd be almost impossible to track down now."

"There's one thing that's not fitting, though," Sasuke mused, scratching his chin idly as he thought. "Naruto and his family didn't die in Konoha; they were actually quite far away, or at least far enough so that the effects of the Kyuubi's curse wouldn't have been felt. That means that the curse must have traveled back to Konoha within a relatively short period of time. How long do you think the ghosts could last without its effects?"

"A year or two for the weaker ones," Neji guessed with a shrug. "Maybe five or ten for the stronger ones."

"Damn, that's too big of a gap to get anything concrete on." Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek in thought, then his eyes lit up as something dawned on him. "Neji, if, during the crash, Kushina had died first, would the curse then have been transferred to Naruto without his knowledge?"

"It's entirely plausible," Neji said with a frown, "but I don't see where that gets us. Curses like that need a living body to function; it would have left Naruto as soon as he died just like it left his mother."

"And so, we're back to square one," Sasuke sighed discontentedly, flopping back down into the chair. "We're still no closer to finding the Kyuubi that we were five days ago."

"That's not true," Neji argued.

"How so?"

"We have more information now," he clarified. "In my family, information is considered the highest form of power. Even if we don't know how that information might become useful, it's better to have it than not."

"We're still not getting anywhere just talking about it," Sasuke pointed out.

All of a sudden, something hit him, something that had been nagging at the back of his mind, and he jumped up and snatched his satchel from the floor, stuffing the small red book inside it. "Neji, we have to get back to the Hokage! I have an idea!"

"What? What is it?" Neji had to run awkwardly to keep up with Sasuke as he darted out of the library. "Sasuke! Tell me what's going on!"

"The scrapbook!" He yelled over his shoulder. "It had pictures of Naruto and his family in it! What if it wasn't something to catch our attention like we thought, but a clue from the Akatsuki's spy?"

"That would mean they've gotten at least as far as we have in figuring this out!" Neji panted, trying not to fall too far behind Sasuke.

"But the question is, did they already tell the Akatsuki what they know?"

Both Sasuke and Neji froze in their tracks as the implications of the question hit them, and they shared a quick, terrified glance before exchanging hard nods and taking off again without a word.

When they got back to the Hokage, Sasuke and Neji darted up the stairs and into suite 2B without even nodding to Choji at the reception desk, who muttered, "Rude," after their disappearing backs. Without thinking, Sasuke flung open the door to his room with a bang, only to find that there was someone already inside.

Kabuto was standing at the foot of the bed, tucking the corner of the sheet under that mattress, and he looked up at the sudden intrusion. "Ah, young Mr. Uchiha. I was just changing your sheets for you-"

The world flashed abruptly red in Sasuke's vision again, and he snapped, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Kabuto's sharp eyes narrowed. "I work here," he said pointedly.

"Then why haven't I seen you around before?" Sasuke challenged, a hot blood rising under his skin.

"Because I normally work the ground floor," Kabuto explained clearly, his eyes flashing between Sasuke, who looked like he was going to explode from anger, to Neji, who looked apologetic. "Tenten usually does these rooms, but she's been sick so much that Kakashi's let her off for a couple of weeks."

"You know," Sasuke seethed, the air coming in hot pants from between his teeth, "I'm having a hard time believing that story. You wanna tell it to me again, just to be sure it's true?"

A cold glint appeared in Kabuto's eyes. "I won't repeat myself. You're being immature about this. If you'll allow me a few minutes, I shall be finished with my task and you can have your room back-"

Without warning, Sasuke launched himself forward and grabbed Kabuto's collar, slamming him into the wall and knocking down the framed picture hung there. The look in Kabuto's eyes showed only shock and surprise mixed with a little fear, but Sasuke couldn't help himself; his mouth and hands were no longer his own, under the control of his mind.

Shaking Kabuto, Sasuke spat at him, "It was you, wasn't it? You were the rat the whole time! Just confess it! I know it was you!"

"Get the hell off me!" Kabuto yelled, struggling uselessly against Sasuke's iron grip, but the Uchiha refused to let him go.

"Not until you confess it was you who left the scrapbook and who's been reporting back to them this whole time!"

"Sasuke!"

Neji tackled Sasuke from behind and managed to somehow drag him away from Kabuto, kicking and screaming like a lunatic.

"I'll remember this," Kabuto accused as he made his escape, slipping around the still flailing Sasuke almost escaping Neji's grip. Just before leaving, he yelled, "That was assault! I could get you put in jail for that!"

"Try it!" Sasuke screamed, but Kabuto was already gone. "Neji, let go of me! I need to go after him! He's the rat!"

"No, he's not!" Neji got both of Sasuke's hands trapped behind him in an armlock, hauling back on him when he tried to run out of the room after Kabuto. "He's not the rat! Sasuke, what's gotten into you? You're not acting like yourself at all!"

"Then maybe you never really knew the true me!" Sasuke roared, yanking himself free from Neji's grasp with a vicious twisting movement.

Neji was silent for a few long seconds, and Sasuke started to wonder if something was wrong with him. Then Neji shook his head slowly, and the only emotion radiating from him was pure disappointment.

"I thought you were different, Sasuke. I thought you were smart, like me. But you're just like them, aren't you?"

"Like who?" Sasuke spat, wiping saliva off his jaw from where it was dripping from his mouth.

"If you were yourself, you wouldn't even need to ask."

"I am myself!" Sasuke defended, but his tottering stance and vacant eyes told another story.

"No, you're not," Neji said sadly. "And you won't be until you can regain what sanity you've lost."

"I haven't lost anything-" Sasuke tried to protest, pointing angrily at Neji, but his swinging arm displaced his balance, sending him tumbling to the floor.

The only thing Neji felt while looking at Sasuke was pity. Here was this proud man, still struggling with the ramifications of his pride, brought low. It was a spectral malady, he was sure of it, one that caused a deterioration of the mind, and he'd watched it take its toll on the strong Uchiha over the past five days.

It hadn't taken them five days to find the first clue; it had only taken two, but Sasuke had been too out of it to make much sense of it, and he'd forgotten almost immediately after, sparking the cycle they were in now. For the past four days, Neji had been having the exact same conversation with Sasuke, building a little more onto it each time, and it was starting to wear on him. In a moment of clarity, Sasuke had made the connection between the Uzumakis and the scrapbook today, but he'd devolved back into madness as soon as he'd spotted Kabuto in his room.

For once in his life, Neji was scared to admit he didn't know what to do. He was the thinker, but Sasuke was the planner, and with Sasuke this drastically out of the picture, he didn't know what action he should take.

He settled for the one immediately obvious to him: he seized Sasuke's arms and hauled him up off the floor, gently guiding him to the bed. When he let go, Sasuke tottered for a moment in the absence of support, then let the force of gravity take over his body and flop him down on the covers in a state somewhere between an epileptic fit and a coma. A line of whitened spittle trailed down Sasuke jawline, but he seemed relatively stable, so Neji chose that moment to back away and escape.

 _Why am I so calm about this?_ Neji wondered with a sense of detachment as he softly closed the door behind him as to not disturb the partially comatose Sasuke. _I should be in full panic mode right now! Why am I not batting an eye?_

Perhaps it was the abject hopelessness of the situation or the abruptness of Neji's involvement that was keeping him calm. Or maybe he was just in shock and had no emotions available to him. Whatever the reason, he felt oddly detached but connected at the same time, like an NPC programmed to stand in one place and not move, even when the city was burning around him. It was a frightening and liberating feeling at the same time.

The fright and freeness were mostly centered around the leadership position Neji never thought he'd have to take on. Though he was loath to admit it, he was not offered much field responsibly in the Hyuuga clan, so this was the first true 'case' he'd ever handled on his own, and he had the feeling he was failing miserably. But it wasn't as if he could just call for help, because if he did that, he could lose something important to him, something he'd recently discovered that meant more to him than he ever thought he could feel.

With a sigh and mixed feelings of euphoria and trepidation, Neji pushed open the door to the room he was staying in. The figure hunched over the chessboard in the center of the room didn't look up at the sound of the door latching behind him.

"How is he? Not any better, I presume from your expression."

"Even worse, if that's possible. He's foaming at the mouth now."

This did make Shikamaru look up. "That bad?"

"That bad," Neji confirmed. "I don't know what to do."

"Do you think any of his supplies could work on him? The holy water and rock salt and stuff?"

But Neji only shook his head. "Those things only work on spirits who are no longer attached to a body. Besides, Sasuke's not religious. Religious artifacts only work if you believe they will. It's kind of like a placebo effect."

"Interesting." Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, and Neji got the feeling that he was storing the information away for another time, and didn't quite know how he felt about it. "And you have no idea what could be causing it?"

"Well," Neji said slowly, "I have a few ideas, but nothing I'm sure about yet."

"Let's hear 'em, then." Shikamaru gestured to the empty space on the opposite side of the chessboard, and Neji sat down and idly made a move in the half-complete game.

This was the nature of the interactions between Neji and Shikamaru now, and he quite liked it that way. The stolen moments at the chessboard were like hidden shards of a covetous gem, and they had added up, over the last five days, to three full games and the half done one in front of them now, all of which Neji had lost but none of which he had minded losing. Shikamaru was just so good that it simply wasn't a possibility for Neji to win, and yet, somehow, they both enjoyed playing anyway, regardless that the outcome of the game was already decided before the first piece was even moved.

These thoughts shrouded Neji's mind like a kind of mystical veil as he stared blandly at the chessboard, not even registering Shikamaru's move until the phantom prompted him.

"It's your move."

Starting slightly at the words, Neji shook his head to clear his thoughts and placed a pensive finger on the head of his knight.

"As much as I'd like to think I know, the Uchiha are a completely unique entity from the Hyuuga, and much of my expertise doesn't even apply to him. For example, the way the eyes of the Uchiha work vary greatly from the Hyuuga, even though we both have powers of spectral perception. The Sharingan of the Uchiha deals much more with the actual spiritual plane of existence, which makes them more susceptible to imbalances in spectral energy."

"Imbalances like the one caused by the Kyuubi?"

"No," Neji said with a frown, "that shouldn't have this much effect on him. The Kyuubi seems, for the most part, to be a benevolent entity. No, I'm talking about an even greater imbalance, one that would upset even the mind of someone ignorant on the world of ghosts."

"Like spending an extended period of time in the presence of a group of Akatsuki," Shikamaru finished for him, a glimmer of understanding lighting up his gaze. "His mood swings did start at about the same time, and I could tell that something was off about his aura."

"But that couldn't have been the only factor," Neji said slowly, moving his finger to the top of his rook. "The insanity didn't set in until after we started working in the old library. There's no way Akatsuki influence would set in that late. His brother-" He cut off abruptly, not sure whether he had the right to reveal any personal information of that situation.

"Tell me, Neji. If I'm going to be able to help you, I need to know everything I can." Shikamaru placed a reassuring hand on Neji's arm. "I'm not going to hurt Sasuke. I need to know to help him."

With a new resolve, Neji moved his finger back to the head of his knight and placed it with a sharp clack deeper into enemy territory. "His older brother had a similar encounter, but he went mad the second he walked away. The reaction wouldn't be delayed like that. Besides, Itachi's madness was different than Sasuke's is now."

"How so?"

"Itachi became confused and violent, and Sasuke's just… confused. His mind just isn't functioning normally, and that's because his aura is out of whack."

"Interesting." Shikamaru flicked a finger and moved a bishop a few spaces. "And nothing in the library would have caused this?"

Neji shook his head. "The wards shouldn't be strong enough to. The main Uchiha household has the same kind of wards around it, and he's visited that plenty of times. I also wouldn't be surprised if his own house had wards of the same sort. They only work, again, on spirits that don't have a body to anchor them."

"Hmm..." Shikamaru steepled his hands together, his brow furrowing in thought. "And there's nothing else you can think of? No major shifts or changes?"

"The only other thing I can think of is that he abruptly cut himself off from a spectral interaction, and his body might be going through withdrawal," Neji speculated, moving his rook to mirror Shikamaru's bishop.

"That can happen?"

"Altogether too often. He's been unnaturally close to Naruto these past few weeks, even going so far as to sleep in extreme close quarters, correct?"

A frown decorated the bridge of Shikamaru's nose with a delicate wrinkle. "Yes."

"Then his body has become used to constant spectral pressure, and an unusually strong pressure at that. This could be his body reacting to no longer having that pressure to press on and mold his aura. Though I've never heard of a case as bad or long lasting as this."

"If you're right, and that is the real reason, we need to keep it from Naruto." Shikamaru, in a bold move, brought out his queen and slammed it down almost in the center of the board, fixing Neji with a strong gaze. "He'll feel like this is all his fault, and that'll make him impossible to deal with."

Neji gave a harsh nod. "Agreed."

"You guys are assholes, you know?"

Both Neji and Shikamaru stiffened and swung their gazes over to the window, where Naruto was leaning against the wall with clenched fists.

"You were going to keep that from me? Just because you thought I couldn't handle it?"

"Naruto-" Shikamaru started gently, but Naruto cut him off with an extravagant sweep of his arm.

"I'm the one who first met Sasuke, I'm the one who befriended him and dragged him into this mess, and I'm the one who's been lying next to him when he's been sleeping for the past few weeks! I deserve to know what's going on!"

Neji stood up and tried to reach out to the distraught phantom. "Naruto-"

"No!" Naruto yelled, pushing his hand out in Neji's direction and sending a wave of pure power to knock him over. "I will not be quiet! I will not stand by when someone I care about is in trouble and hurting! If not being near me is hurting him, then if I just go see him, he'll get better!"

The warning bells started sounding in Neji's head, and he started struggling to his feet. "No, that's a very bad idea! Don't go near him right now!"

Naruto rounded on Neji, knocking him down on his ass again. "Why? Why can't I see him? It's going to help him!"

"It's not going to help him!" Neji choked out, the pressure from Naruto's anger making it difficult to breathe. "It's going to make him worse!"

"Why?"

"Because his system is weak right now! In the state he's in, a power surge from you could really mess him up!"

"You can't know that!" With a shock, Neji realized that there were tears forming in Naruto's eyes. "I could help him!"

"You don't know that!" Neji yelled back.

Even Shikamaru stood up, the tension of the situation forcing him into an active role. "Regardless of the situation, giving someone a hit of something when they're almost clean is never a good idea."

Unfortunately, that proved almost less effective than Neji's tactics. Naruto immediately rounded on Shikamaru, a wave of power blasting through him as well, though he stood up to it better than Neji had. "I am not a drug!"

"Naruto, you need to calm down-" Neji tried, but Naruto cut him off again.

"I don't care what you say, if Sasuke needs me, I'll go to him! I left him alone with the Akatsuki-"

"We all agreed to leave him alone, not just you!" Shikamaru interjected, but Naruto rounded on him again, blasting more power at him this time, enough to make him stagger back a few steps.

"Quit lying to me!" Naruto almost screamed, grabbing at his temples and drawing in on himself in the corner. "I know it's all my fault! It's my fault Sasuke's like this, and I have to fix it!"

A wave of sudden panic surged through Neji; Naruto was a strong phantom normally, and the extra volatility from his sudden anger added a substantial layer of danger to the situation. The power blasts Naruto had let out were bouncing around the room and intensifying every second with his mounting fear.

"Naruto, you need to calm down! This isn't helping anything-" Neji tried to say, but Naruto glared up at him with wild eyes and sent another blast of energy, even stronger than the last, at him, slamming him back into the wall with enough force to make him see stars for a moment. Not sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him or not, Neji thought he saw Shikamaru's head turn toward him with an expression of worry and his mouth open the slightest bit, as if to call out his name, but the moment was over in a flash and Shikamaru turned his hard gaze back to Naruto, leaving Neji to wonder if he had imagined it.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru's voice broke out into the room like the harsh crack of a whip. "Get ahold of yourself!"

"I have ahold of myself!" Naruto screamed right back, his eyes a measure of the depravity inside his mind.

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Shikamaru. "And to prove it, I'm going to go in there and make Sasuke feel better right now!"

With an angry toss of his head, Naruto turned sharply and strode towards the wall. Having just gotten enough wind back from having the breath knocked out of him, Neji managed to croak, "You can't…. Have to… stop him…"

Shikamaru's head twisted around sharply, meeting his eyes with his own, and in that split second when their gazes aligned, Neji felt a moment of complete understanding pass between them, and something, some barrier inside him, crumbled away to reveal a tiny part of his heart he had never noticed before. But the moment was gone almost as soon as it had come, and Shikamaru turned back and held out a hand in front of him.

"I didn't want to do this, but you've left me with no choice, Naruto. _Shadow Bind._ "

As soon as the intonation had left Shikamaru's lips, a black cord, dark as a shadow and much thicker, darted out and grabbed hold of Naruto's arm, stopping him dead in his tracks. The cord twined up Naruto's arm and wrapped itself around his torso, holding him fast as he struggled against the bonds.

"The fuck, Shikamaru! What the hell is this?"

"You've always called me 'The Shadowmaster'," Shikamaru intoned expressionlessly, a look of absolute concentration on his face. "You just never understood how accurate that name really was."

The puppet master; the force in the shadows; the manipulator from the shadows; the manipulator of the shadows: the Shadowmaster. It fit, so securely and neatly that Neji wondered how he'd never noticed it before. The power radiating from Shikamaru was pure, unadulterated darkness, but not a cold, evil dark like that of the Akatsuki. It was, rather, the warm dark of a humid summer's night, muggy from the damp coastal air and enveloping Neji with a welcome and a promise of more sultry darkness to follow, if Neji was brave enough to step into it. Or perhaps that was just Neji's wishful thinking, but it still felt like the darkness was inviting him in, no matter the reason behind it.

This was no ordinary spectral power. This was - had to be - a hereditary power Shikamaru had kept after death, much like the pyrokinetic Akatsuki Deidara. Neji's eyes narrowed, a suspicion starting to form in his mind. What were the odds of finding a second family with a hereditary gift in the same small town?

Across the room, Naruto's face had gone almost purple with rage during the amount of time Neji had taken to process this new information. Gritting his teeth angrily, he yanked viciously against the bonds suppressing his movement.

"Let… go… of… me!"

With a monumental heave, Naruto succeeded in tearing an arm loose from the dark cords, but they only loosened for a moment before Shikamaru clenched his outstretched hand and the bonds tightened around Naruto once again, biting viciously into his flesh.

"I won't let you go until you have calmed down enough to be reasonable!" Shikamaru declared, a line of strain starting to show on his forehead. "Don't try to fight me, Naruto!"

But Naruto didn't listen, wrenching back and forth against the bonds harder than before. "I said, let go of me!"

"No!"

"LET GO OF ME!"

With a final effort, Naruto sent a bolt of power at Shikamaru so strong, it blasted his control away and blew him backwards into Neji. The force of the impact forced Neji to his knees, almost cradling Shikamaru's head as the shadow bonds disappeared almost immediately, and he beheld with horror that Shikamaru's eyes were closed and his half-corporeal body lifeless. Naruto's expression was torn briefly between guilt and horror over what he'd just done to his friend and worry for the deranged boy next door, but when a choked gasping sound came through the wall, probably a result of the massive wave of power thrown out, worry won over guilt, and Naruto immediately turned and floated hurriedly through the wall, leaving Neji behind, holding the unconscious Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru?" He asked quietly, almost in a whisper, as he tried to shake a little life into the form that was starting to fade into incorporeality and slip through his fingers. "Wake up, Shikamaru! Please wake up!"

As if Neji's voice was all that was needed to call Shikamaru back, the phantom's eyelids flickered a little and cracked open, and a groan dragged itself laboriously from his throat. "What happened?"

"You blacked out," Neji informed him, helping him into a sitting position. "It was only for a few seconds or so, but you still almost gave me a heart attack."

"Hmm." Shikamaru tried to struggle back to his feet, but he couldn't muster the energy, and Neji held him down. "...Naruto's a lot stronger than I give him credit for. He took me by surprise."

"Shikamaru?" Neji asked uncertainly, tightening his grip almost imperceptibly on the phantom's shoulders, but Shikamaru noticed and narrowed his eyes the slightest bit.

"What?" He asked cautiously, the fight-or-flight instinct clear in his eyes. Or perhaps, in his case, the truth-or-bluff instinct.

"What was that black thing? It was… It was yours, right?"

Before the words were even out of Neji's mouth, Shikamaru's expression had closed off and become unreadable, his gaze sliding away from Neji's and his mouth forming into a flat line. Still refusing to meet his eyes or say anything, he pushed away from Neji and stood up, facing the wall and leaving Neji kneeling on the floor looking after him.

"You didn't want me to know," Neji surmised, standing up as well and closing the gap between the two.

A harsh laugh tore itself out of Shikamaru's throat, cold and without humor. "Don't feel special; I don't like anybody to know. I shouldn't have used it today."

"It's a hereditary power, isn't it?"

Shikamaru flinched visibly at that. "How'd you know?"

"Because I have one. I know how they work, and that's not a normal ghost power."

"Not a 'normal' ghost power," Shikamaru echoed wryly. "I guess you're right. We're all a bunch of freaks here."

"You're not a-" Neji tried to say, placing a comforting hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, but a loud thump from through the wall cut him off, and the phantom shook off his hand.

"I should've stopped him," Shikamaru said angrily, clenching his fist. It was the most upset Neji had ever seen the ghost. "I should've been able to keep him."

"It wasn't your fault," Neji said gently, replacing his hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. This time, the ghost turned and look at him, fixing him with a gaze that was both piercing and more vulnerable than he had ever seen before.

"Yes, it was," he said quietly.

Another loud thump resounded through the wall, followed by a few quieter thumps, as if someone had fallen out of bed and rolled a few paces, and both ghost and human snapped their gazes to the wall in concern. A fit of coughing echoed harshly through the barrier, then it dropped off into an almost peaceful quiet.

"Maybe he'll be okay without us," Neji suggested dubiously, hope flickering to life in his breast.

And that's when they heard Naruto's cry of horror.


	29. Swallowed by Darkness

Enjoy this chapter and look out for the next one tomorrow!

* * *

Neji thrust open the door to Sasuke's bedroom with so much force that it sprang back and hit the wall with a resounding crash, revealing a scene that made his throat tighten with fear and horror. Sasuke was on the ground, having obviously fallen out of bed, his sheet tangled around his legs and his hands pressed desperately against his ears, convulsing in what appeared to be a combination of a seizure and a panic attack, sightless eyes almost bulging out of his sockets with the force of a terrible, silent cry.

Hovering above Sasuke, Naruto was trying to catch his arms and stop him from convulsing, but all his presence seemed to be doing was exacerbating the fit.

"Naruto, get away from him!"

Naruto looked up at Neji's shout, but didn't move away from Sasuke. The look on his face could only be described as stricken, and it suddenly struck Neji that he had absolutely no idea before this as to the depth of the relationship between the two. Naruto came off, to Neji, as juvenile and irresponsible, and Sasuke was just an asshole. And yet, the pair must see something in the other of worth, or the bond between them wouldn't be as strong as it was.

"What's wrong with him?" He asked, his face melting into that of a much younger version of himself. "I… I was supposed to help him…"

"Well, you're not, so get away from him before you just make it worse!"

"Worse?" Naruto asked incredulously, his face morphing into rage. "He's gone fucking mental! How much worse can you get?"

"Never ask that question," Neji warned from between gritted teeth. "It will always be answered."

It was precisely at this moment when Sasuke clamped his hands over his ears and started to scream.

* * *

Sasuke didn't know where he was, only that it was dark and cold, but he was so frozen himself that the chill couldn't seep into his bones. Rather, it seemed to emanate out from inside him into the frozen darkness, creating a wasteland that echoed the landscape of the cold, barren heart residing in his breast.

Around him, the darkness began to swirl and take on forms of indiscernible shape and mass. Whispers, harsh and quiet, assaulted his ears, but Sasuke couldn't tell if they outside of his head, or in. The whispers ebbed and flowed in volume and intensity like waves crashing against the shore, first sweet, then as unforgiving as cold white marble, their sounds rustling around him like the ominous rush of a chill wind through a partially decimated treetop.

All of a sudden, a single word broke through the tense symphony around him, making Sasuke flinch with the harshness it contained, only emphasized by its brevity.

"Fool!"

The voice was his father's, and the tone was pure arched disappointment. Sasuke curled in on himself, his hands coming up to cover his ears, but it did little to quiet the words ricocheting around the inside of his skull like stray bullets.

"What are you doing? Targeting the Akatsuki alone? You fool! I thought I raised you better than this."

"Sasuke?" The voice of his mother interrupted, but Sasuke cringed even harder at her sickly sweet cloying tone. "You should listen to your father. He's always right, you know."

His father's voice cut back in, each word like the crack of a whip against Sasuke's mind. "Fool! Incapable, useless fool! You are a disappointment to me, son- no, not even my son! You've turned your back on two of the most important rules of the Uchiha: never trust a ghost, and never work alone! Until you can repent from these sins, you are no longer a son of the Uchiha family!"

Other voices, both known and unknown to him, joined those of his parents, forming a dissonant symphony increasing in tempo with the ever-increasing tempo of his heartbeat.

"Fool!"

"...hate my methods? You use them…"

"...insignificant…useless…"

"...banish you from the House of Uchiha…"

"...this was a waste of time… Why did I even come here in the first place?..."

"...useless…"

"...you're not one of us; how could you be? You're still alive…"

"...you'll never be seeing us again…"

"...useless…"

"...why couldn't you have left him… to tell me what _this_ means?..."

"...useless…"

"...you've changed, Sasuke… you're colder now…"

"...useless…"

"...you were almost a human…"

"...useless… useless… useless… useless… useless… useless… useless… USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS!"

Sasuke could pinpoint exactly when, but it was somewhere around this point that he started screaming to drown out the voices.

* * *

Shikamaru tackled Naruto to the ground away from Sasuke as he seized up and began to convulse in time to his screaming, his eyes rolling back into his head far enough to show off a dangerous amount of white. He suddenly threw himself to the side, and would have smashed his head against the legs of the chair if Neji hadn't dove down and caught him at the last second, holding him against the floor.

The carefully constructed composure Neji had built around himself the past week started to crack, deepening into a crevice capable of swallowing what little self pride he had left into darkness. A vicious tremor overtook him, and his hands holding the still writhing Sasuke - though his screams by now had subsided into interspersed bouts of disturbing tortured moans and even more disturbing silence - clenched unconsciously into terrified claws. _What do I do?_ He thought wildly, shaking almost as badly as Sasuke. _What_ can _I do?_

A gentle touch at the back of Neji's neck made him jump almost to the ceiling, but upon whipping his head around, he saw only Shikamaru's calmly calculating gaze, devoid of the usual gloating boredom and filled instead with strength.

"There's someone coming up the stairs. What do I do?"

 _Yes,_ Neji thought wildly, his mind chasing down scattered thoughts around the blank space of his mind like a cat chasing phantom mice. _What do I do?_

"Neji!" Shikamaru snapped, jerking him harshly back to reality. "What do you want me to do? He's your friend: it's your call."

 _It's your call._ How he hated those words. They represented all the demands made of him before he was ready, all the responsibilities no one had ever asked him if he had wanted. But, Neji had learned, when it was time for a call to be made, it had to be made or it would make itself, and the consequences of that happening were often worse than making the wrong call. Well, now was the time, and this was the call, and taking the driver's seat was the only option Neji had, much as he disliked the thought.

His face growing hard, Neji stood up, dragging the now unresponsive Sasuke with him. "Close the door and lock it. I don't want anyone coming in."

A flash of darkness momentarily flashed through Shikamaru's gaze, but it was gone as soon as it had come, leaving Neji unsure whether or not he had just imagined it. "If that's what you think is right."

For a second, doubt flashed through Neji's mind, but he clamped down in it when he, too, heard rushing footsteps coming up the stairs. Now was not the time for hesitation.

"Yes, that's what I want! Do it, and do it now!"

A look of pleasant surprise flickered over Shikamaru's face before being replaced by a rigid, militaristic discipline, reminding Neji that the phantom had lived - and died - in the service of the military.

"Yes, sir," he barked, the response so natural it was probably ingrained into the very fibers of his being.

Immediately after, the door slammed shut and the lock clicked closed without any visible movement or direction from Shikamaru, and not a moment too soon: a second later, a heavy fist started pounding on the door.

"Sasuke? Are you in there? What's going on?"

The voice was Sakura's, and it floated through the door on a voice filled with panicked emotion. Gritting his teeth, Neji ignored the pounding as it increased in volume and focused instead on trying to get Sasuke to stand upright. His eyes were open now, but they were sightless, focusing on something that Neji couldn't see.

"Sasuke! Can you hear me?" Neji snapped, but there was no response.

Unable to hold himself upright on locked knees, Sasuke pitched forward and would have hit the ground face first if Neji hadn't reached out and caught him at the last second.

The pounding stopped abruptly, and Sakura's voice came through the door again.

"Neji? Is that you?"

"Shit," Neji muttered under his breath, then called out, "Yes, it's me!"

"Neji?" Ino's voice joined Sakura's, and Neji cursed even harder under his breath. "What on earth is going on in there?"

"Nothing!" He yelled, dumping Sasuke unceremoniously facedown on the bed. "Nothing is happening, nothing is wrong! Leave us alone, please!"

Kabuto's smug voice echoed through the closed door. "You're disturbing the peace. You have to let us in to investigate."

Doubt and suspicion swirled abruptly through Neji's mind. What was Kabuto doing at their door? Sure, Sasuke had just chased him out of the room a scant ten minutes before, but Neji had assumed that he would just complain to Kakashi and be done with it. Why was he here again, and with Sakura and Ino, not the manager? Perhaps, Neji realized with cold fear trickling down his back like an ice cube dropped down the neck of his shirt, perhaps it was possible that Sasuke was right, and Kabuto was the Akatsuki's spy.

He must have remained silent for too long, because Sakura called through the door again, concern in her voice.

"Neji? You sure you're alright in there?"

"Yes, we're fine-" he started, but a sudden need for oxygen cut him off as Sasuke launched himself from the bed and grabbed him from behind in a chokehold.

* * *

Almost imperceptibly slowly, the torturous chant of abuse plaguing Sasuke started fading, the multitude of sadistic voices prying into his skull starting to ebb and flow inconsistently. Taking in a great, shuddering breath, Sasuke tensed, then let all the tension drain out of his body on his breath. It was a trick he'd learned to do when blocking out things he didn't want to hear. As soon as he relaxed, they disappeared almost instantly, proving to him that they were phantoms of his own mind and not apparitions sent by an outside source.

The reprieve was short lived, however, when the mad symphony of voices was replaced with a single voice, more chilling to him than all the other voices combined.

"Hello, little brother. Have you missed me?"

All thoughts of reason and calming breaths left Sasuke on a wave of rage, and he launched himself at the source of voice without a second thought.

* * *

"Rat bastard!"

 _I can't breathe,_ Neji dimly realized. _That's right; Sasuke is choking me. But why? Rat bastard… Does Sasuke think I'm the rat now? Probably not, he's still hallucinating… Why can't I breathe again?_

"Neji? Neji!" Heavy pounding started at the door again, and Sakura's voice took on a desperate tone. "What's going on? If you don't open up this door, I'll go get Kakashi to bring the keys!"

Neji's vision started closing off with his windpipe, the edges of his sight fading into darkness. He was dimly aware of Naruto and Shikamaru jumping forward and trying to separate Sasuke from him, but it did little good. The strength with which Sasuke was gripping him was almost inhuman, and Neji could sense, almost separate from himself, the too-rapid speed at which he was approaching unconsciousness.

Suddenly, Shikamaru's face was right in front of Neji, occupying the space in the center of his vision while the edges started blurring away. His lips formed Neji's name several times, but Neji couldn't hear it. The only thing his ears could pick up was the rushing of his pulse and an unidentifiable low buzzing. A franticness overtook Shikamaru's face and he seized Neji's shoulders, but Neji couldn't even feel the pressure of his hands.

Shikamaru's face abruptly morphed into one Neji had never seen before, but he would have recognized it anywhere. It was the face of someone in their mid twenties, someone who had seen the ravages of war. This was the face Shikamaru had died with, and the face he would always revert to in a situation that caused extreme stress or fear. The knowledge that he could cause such a face in a phantom who usually only dealt in games was a strange comfort to Neji, despite the current situation he was in.

The room went black for a second, then slowly came back into dim focus, and Neji realized that he'd almost lost consciousness, but Shikamaru had shaken him back awake. _Just let me sleep_ , he thought dimly, his head lolling on his shoulders. _Don't you know how tired I am?... And why can't I breathe again?_

The last thing Neji felt before he lost consciousness was a blast of power at his back, throwing him forward into Shikamaru's arms.

* * *

"You rat bastard!" Sasuke screamed as he launched himself at the apparition of his brother. He half expected him to be incorporeal, a figment of his imagination, and to fly right through him, so when his hands closed around an all-too-firm neck, he almost let go again in shock, but the impulse passed by within a moment, and he gripped even harder around his brother's neck.

Itachi's eyes bugged out and he grasped desperately at Sasuke's hands. "Wait!" He gasped. "Don't- don't do this!"

"Why!?" Sasuke screamed in reply, surprised to find tears running down his face. "What mercy did you give me when these roles were reversed? Why should I listen to anything you say?"

"Because-" he choked out, his face turning a light shade of purple, "because you're stronger than I am. Don't let them get to you…"

"Them?" Sasuke's grip lightened almost imperceptibly.

"The Akatsuki. They can poison the mind with a single carefully crafted sentence and make a man go mad." Itachi let his hands drop to his sides, but didn't break eye contact with Sasuke, who stared at him almost in horror. "By the time I beat their game, it was already too late. But you had something to keep you sane, and then you lost it. _Find it._ Bring it back, and you can beat them."

"How?" Sasuke whispered, his grip loosening even more. "How can I possibly beat them?"

"You can beat their mind game, and once you do that, you can win. I know you can."

But before Sasuke could say anything else, a blast of power separated him from Itachi, and he lost the form of his brother into the black depths of his consciousness.

* * *

When his vision came trickling back, Neji had the feeling that he wasn't out for long, perhaps only a few seconds, but what had happened while he was out had been momentous. He was lying on the floor in an uncomfortable position, one arm wedged underneath him, trapped between his back and the carpet, as if he'd fallen forward and been rolled into the position he was currently in. Every part of his body ached, from his arm to his shoulder to his left knee, which he must have hit in his fall, but especially his neck, which felt like it was on fire.

"God, that hurts," he tried to groan, but all that came out was a harsh croak.

Suddenly Shikamaru was there, laying a gently solid finger across Neji's lips. "Shh. Don't talk."

"Wh…" Neji managed to get out on a harsh whisper, but nothing else followed.

"Idiot! Didn't you just hear what I said?" Shikamaru furrowed his brow, equal parts anger and worry mixing in his face. "Don't talk. Sasuke got a real good grip there on your throat for a while. Probably woulda killed you if Naruto and I hadn't managed to pull you too apart. Your throat's really bruised now, but you can still breathe so you should be fine soon, but just try not to talk for a bit, okay? Nod if you understand me."

Neji nodded, and Shikamaru visibly relaxed. He held out a hand, and Neji grabbed it, hauling himself into a sitting position. His throat felt dry and he tried to swallow, but the effort hurt and he only succeeded in gasping out a ragged breath, unable to do anything more than listen to the harsh sound of his own breathing.

 _Damn, Sasuke really did a number on me,_ Neji thought, bringing a hand up to touch his tender throat. _Wait, what happened to Sasuke? Is he okay?_

Unthinkingly, he opened his mouth to ask the question of Shikamaru, but the phantom covered his mouth before he could speak.

"No talking, remember?"

Neji displayed his irritation with an angry grimace.

"I know, I know: you want to know about Sasuke." Shikamaru pointed behind Neji. "He's over there, with Naruto. He's fine, but whatever's going on… it's different now. He's quieter."

Neji made a motion with his hand that he wanted to see for himself, and Shikamaru nodded in response.

"Course you would. Give me your hand."

Neji was about to give Shikamaru his hand to let him help him up when a thought struck him, and he signed a rough approximation of _you understand ASL?_

With a frown, Shikamaru said, "If you're asking me if I understand sign language, the answer is no. But I can read your expressions fairly well, so I'll be able to understand you."

Neji raised a single eyebrow.

"Yes, really," Shikamaru sighed. "You don't think I've spent this entire time with my head shoved up my ass, do you? I'm the Shadowmaster, remember?"

Neji made a face, but Shikamaru just shrugged.

"Don't take everything Sasuke said to heart. I certainly didn't. He wasn't right in the head, even then."

Impatiently, Neji stuck his hand out, and the phantom laughed and took it.

"I know, I know. Getting on with it."

Neji was surprised at both the ease of communication and the lack of embarrassment he felt with Shikamaru, even when he helped with the simplest of tasks, like standing up, but maybe that was because of Shikamaru himself. The phantom was a war veteran, so he must have seen much worse injuries than the one Neji was currently sporting.

Speaking of war, Shikamaru still had his death-face on, the face he had worn when he was fighting in World War 2. When he realized that, Neji reached up almost instinctively and traced a finger down his cheek. It was a fascinating face to him, made even more so because of the fact that he had put it there.

At the touch, Shikamaru looked down at Neji with a frown of confusion, and Neji blushed and dropped his hand away.

"What is it?" Shikamaru murmured almost to himself, grasping Neji's chin and pulling it up so he could study his face. Neji reddened even further when he realized that their bodies were almost flush against each other from Shikamaru helping him up, his hand resting on the ghost's chest and Shikamaru's unoccupied hand settled at the small of his back for support.

"Ah, so that's it." Shikamaru's face morphed again to the normal visage he wore. "That better?"

Neji nodded, trying to hide the disappointment in his face, but Shikamaru saw it anyway and gave a low chuckle.

"If you two have finished with your flirting over there, maybe you could, I don't know, _pay some attention to the thrashing maniac over here?"_

 _Flirting!?_ Neji spun his head around in outrage, about to give Naruto a piece of his mind, when Shikamaru covered his mouth.

"No talking, remember?" He whispered in Neji's ear, making him flush and wriggle from the intimate heat against his neck.

Then Neji saw Sasuke. _Thrashing maniac_ , Naruto had said, and that just about covered it. Sasuke was pressed flat out on the floor, his arms pinned down against the carpet on either side of his head by a trying-not-to-panic-and-only-partially-succeeding Naruto, who was sitting on his chest and holding him still. He had stopped the screaming and epileptic-type seizures of before, but his mouth was open, as if he was silently crying out, and his head was moving back and forth rapidly like he was searching for something.

Naruto looked up at Neji with barely controlled panic in his gaze. "What should I do? What _can_ I do?"

 _Those are the exact questions I've been asking myself for the past half hour,_ Neji thought grimly.

Before anyone could say anything else, the door rattled as it was unlocked from the outside and swung open with enough force to crash violently into the wall, letting in four panicked bodies. Kakashi was first, holding a key and looking very official, but he was soon pushed out of the way by a concerned Ino, a worried Sakura, and a smug Kabuto.

"See!" Kabuto cried, pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke in the ground. "I told you he was acting strange! He's disturbing the peace-"

But Sakura elbowed right past him, not giving him any attention. "Oh my god, Sasuke! Are you okay!"

 _No! She can't get close to him!_ Neji thought desperately, and he tried to step forward to block her movements, but in doing so he stepped away from Shikamaru's supportive arm and stumbled back down to his knees.

Sakura's path immediately changed from Sasuke to Neji, and she gasped, a hand flying up to cover her mouth, when she saw his neck.

"Neji! What happened to you? Did Sasuke do this?"

Sakura fell to her knees in front of Neji and grabbed his head to hold it still as she examined his neck and he struggled to push her away.

"N-no!" He croaked, but Sakura ignored him.

"This looks serious; we need to get you to the hospital!" Sakura turned her head back to look at Kakashi. "Can you call 911?"

Kakashi nodded and pulled out his phone even as Neji was vehemently shaking his head.

"Hospital is a bad idea," Shikamaru agreed, plucking the phone from Kakashi's grip with a flick of his wrist and dangling it in the air.

The effect was immediate: every human in the room except the writhing Sasuke froze, and Kakashi's single visible eyebrow crept up his forehead.

"Ah," he said after pulling down his mask and surveying the room with both eyes. "So it's this kind of problem, is it?"

* * *

Sasuke was looking for something - what, he couldn't be sure of, but he knew that he had to find it, or else something bad was going to happen. Again, he couldn't be sure what that thing was, but he knew he had to overcome it, or it would destroy him.

It was dark, but not as cold as before, and Sasuke was running through the darkness seeking for the special thing that would help him and only him, the holy grail of his story. He knew he could find it if he tried hard enough, but the darkness was so endless that he began to flag and falter. Something was chasing him, though, something terrible, and he dared not let it catch up to him, so on he stumbled with terror an equal motivator to the desire for that special Something.

It felt to Sasuke like he was ten years old again, stumbling along after the shadow of his older brother. _Look at me and love me_ , his rapid childish footsteps seemed to beg of the shadow, even though his heart was filled with fear of that same shadow.

Alone and terrified, the child Sasuke ran after the shadow in the darkness, the one spot darker than the blackness around him. It seemed to swell in size and shrink back down as if it was rapidly coming closer, then receding just as quickly, even though Sasuke never changed his pace.

"Itachi!" He cried out to the shadow, his voice a shrill child's call. "Big brother, where did you go?"

The shadow seemed to pause and turn its head slightly back upon hearing the cry, and Sasuke quickened his pace, the eagerness he felt more than outweighing the trepidation. The darkness around him was getting colder with every stride, but he paid it no mind as he strove towards the shadow of his big brother, all intentions of his original goal forgotten.

It was getting harder and harder to run through the frozen darkness, but child Sasuke kept struggling on, his little legs growing ever more sluggish with cold but ever more determined. Somewhere in the back of his mind, something was screaming at him not to continue, that this was not right, but his body had a mind of its own and wouldn't listen.

On and on the child Sasuke slogged, closer and closer to the shadow. With every step he took it grew more defined, until he could make out individual body parts on the shadow - a head, arms, hands - positioned in a way that suggested it seemed to be waiting for him.

"Big brother?" He called uncertainly, and the shadowy figure raised its head slightly in response. "Itachi? Is that you?"

The shadow said nothing in response, and Sasuke's steps faltered for the first time. It was right there in front of him, close enough for him to reach out and touch, but he was afraid. Slowly, he stretched out a trembling hand in front of him to brush up against the shadow.

"Big brother…?"

All of a sudden, the figure turned around, revealing not the face of his older brother, but the pierced face of Pein, the Akatsuki.

"Not quite," he said with a cruel smile.

Sasuke felt terror overtake him and he tried to back away, but the icy darkness clasped his legs and refused to let him go.

His cruel smile intensifying, Pein leaned closer to the frozen Sasuke. "Well, would you take a look at this. It's a little lost boy, looking for a little lost toy. How pathetic."

 _That's right_ , Sasuke remembered with sudden clarity. _I was looking for something, something important. Where is it? I need to find it!_

As if even just remembering the Something he was looking for gave him enough protection from the Akatsuki to break away, the hold on his legs started to loosen, and Sasuke tore away from Pein and started sprinting as fast as he could. A bloodcurdling shriek pierced his ears, and he found, with some degree of surprise, that it was coming from him.

* * *

A horrible shriek like someone was being tortured tore out of Sasuke and rebounded around the room like a thousand pool balls rebounding off the sides of a pool table, and he immediately started thrashing around so hard, Naruto was no longer able to hold him on the ground alone.

"Help!" He cried desperately over his shoulder as Sasuke did his unconscious best to throw him off. "Shikamaru! Please?"

Shikamaru turned sharply to Kakashi and fixed him with a piercing glare, but he didn't back down. "Can you hear me because of that eye of yours, or just see me?" He snapped sharply.

"I can hear you," Kakashi said with a nod.

"Then tell those kids over there to get their asses in gear and help Naruto hold Sasuke down!"

Kakashi nodded once and turned quickly to his employees. "Sakura, Ino, Kabuto: go hold Sasuke down so he doesn't hurt himself!"

Sakura and Ino immediately nodded and ran to Sasuke, where Naruto let them hold his upper body down while he moved to Sasuke's feet, but Kabuto stayed planted at the doorway, a look of stricken fear on his face.

"Phone… floating…" Was all he could manage with a trembling arm outstretched to point at Kakashi's phone, which was still suspended in the air.

"Right," Shikamaru muttered, waving his hand and sending the phone off to drop gently onto the desk. Turning to Neji, he asked with his eyebrows furrowed in worry, "You still feeling okay?"

Neji nodded, but there was still some worry in his face.

"Yes, I know, you're worried about Sasuke," Shikamaru answered with a sigh. "I know this is difficult, but do you think you could stay out of whatever's happening?"

Neji's jaw dropped in shock and anger, and Shikamaru immediately sighed again.

"I knew it was a long shot, but I still had to try. You're hurt, and I know you can feel the energy building outside."

Affronted, Neji crossed his arms over his chest in a show of stubbornness, and Shikamaru' eyebrows drew together with worry again.

"I know that face, you know," he warned Neji in a troubled voice. "I've seen it many times, and the person wearing it usually ends up dead."

Neji raised his chin a little higher in defiance.

"Fine!" Shikamaru snapped, harshness bleeding into his tone from worry. "But don't say I didn't warn you. I've done the whole dying thing, and it's not exactly a picnic on the beach at sunset. You're young and think you're immortal… but you're not. I learned that the hard way."

The harsh, knowing look in Shikamaru's gaze was impossible for Neji to meet head on, so he looked away, but still didn't back down. Eventually, Shikamaru gave in with a sigh and ran an aggravated hand through his hair.

"I'll admit, your tenacity is impressive," he said with a grudging awe.

From across the room, Sasuke gave a sudden surge upwards, and it took all Ino's and Sakura's strength to keep him pinned to the floor.

"I don't know how much longer we can keep him down. I think we should try to move him; it's too closed in and crowded here," Sakura said with worry in her voice. "Do you think we could carry him somewhere else?"

"I have a better idea."

Shikamaru took a step into the middle of the room and raised his right hand over his head. Shadows spilled out of his hand and covered the room faster than the span of a human blink, covering everything in a thick layer of warm dark silence before anyone had a chance to scream aloud.

* * *

Sasuke was still running, but now he knew why. He was looking for the thing that would keep him sane, and at the same time, running from what would drive him insane. Behind him was cold that he was running from, and in front of him was warmth that he was striving to reach. Cold was terror, and warmth was home; he knew this instinctively, and yet, his body yearned to stop and fall into the coldness, to let it overcome him until his whole body was frozen and unfeeling, even as his mind urged him onwards.

Suddenly, the dark landscape around Sasuke changed dramatically, and yet only infinitesimally noticeably. The dark, hushed shapes that darted around him were all replaced with silent shadows for the briefest of moments, and Sasuke stopped running in shock. Even though the moment itself had been the epitome of brevity, it had seemed warm and familiar to him, and he was lost in remembrance trying to figure out what it reminded him of.

A cold breeze curled around the backs of Sasuke's calves, shocking him out of his reverie and propelling him forward again. Now was not the time to be reminiscing over the shadows of lost things, not when he had something to find.

* * *

When the shadows cleared, Neji was no longer standing in the room at the Hokage belonging to Sasuke for the summer. He, along with everyone else in the room, had been relocated to the beach by the small pond where Neji, Sasuke, and the two phantoms had had their first confrontation with the Akatsuki. The beach was exactly like he remembered it, even in the light of day rather than moonlit illumination, and Neji felt a chill run up his spine at the memories associated with the beach. A little to his right, directly under where Sasuke lay, was the patch of glass where Deidara had used his flames and melted the sand, and Neji shuddered just looking at it.

His was not the only reaction of negative emotion, but it was the least impressive one. The two girls tending to Sasuke let out identical screams and jumped up in horror, leaving Sasuke stationary - luckily - on the ground. On the other side of the beach, Kabuto was frozen in terror, his heartbeat visibly escalating and his breathing patterns accelerating until they approached hyperventilatory status. Kakashi was the only one besides Neji who managed to hold himself together after the shocking change in surroundings, by then again, having his transplanted eye had probably forced him to witness much stranger things than this.

In the center of the circle of people, just as before, in the room, was Shikamaru. He looked as confident as always, but Neji noticed a tremble in his hand, and when he took a step forward, he stumbled and would have hit the floor of Neji hadn't jumped forward and caught him at the last second.

"Thanks," he murmured roughly, his hand clutching Neji's shirtsleeve for support, which told Neji exactly how exhausted he was. "Never done that stunt with so much mass before… it was probably a stupid move, but it worked."

"What the fucking hell just happened to us?" Sakura screamed, tears of terror starting to form in her eyes.

"I transported you through the shadows," Shikamaru answered calmly despite his obvious exhaustion.

"Transported us through the shadows?" Sakura and Ino shrieked in tandem, and both Neji and Shikamaru snapped their heads toward the two girls.

"You can hear me?"

"Of course we can bloody well hear you!" Ino cried in a voice so terrified it bordered on hysterical. "Why the hell wouldn't we be able to?"

Sakura got it first, her breathing slowing as she calmed down enough to comprehend what was going on, and she pointed at Shikamaru. "You're a ghost, aren't you? Oh, God, what's going on?"

"A ghost!?" All reason flew from Kabuto's face and was replaced with abject terror. "That's it! I'm done! Hire someone else; I quit!"

He turned tail and started running away from the beach, but Shikamaru raised a tired hand and Kabuto crashed into an invisible barrier.

"No one's going anywhere," he said, strongly despite his obvious fatigue.

"Why!? What the hell's going on here?" Kabuto sobbed, pummeling desperately against the impenetrable invisible barrier.

"A ghost?" In juxtaposition to Kabuto, Ino seemed to calm down upon learning it was the work of a spirit. "Which one are you?"

"Shikamaru," the phantom answered, pushing himself back onto slightly steadier feet, though Neji didn't let him drift too far away. "But I don't understand why you can see me."

"Um…" A voice interjected uncertainly, drawing everyone's focus over to a nervously sheepish Naruto, whose countenance was quite a bit different than expected. "I'm having a sinking suspicion that may be my fault. Also, does anyone think they can explain to me why I'm glowing? Because I have absolutely no clue."

* * *

Sasuke was running, but he wasn't running blindly. As he was racing through the darkness, he was thinking, trying to remember what it might have been that had protected him that he had lost. Every once in a while, he would get so wrapped up in thinking that he would slow and stop, but a cold breeze at his back would soon propel him forward again.

What could he be looking for? There was nothing obvious he could think of, and he still wasn't completely sure if he should trust the strange apparition of his brother. And yet, what other choice did he have? He certainly didn't have any ideas.

There must be something, anything, that would function as a clue. But what?

Cold air tickled at the backs of his legs, and Sasuke started running again, then almost stopped in shock as it suddenly hit him.

Cold was madness and the Akatsuki, so its opposite, what would defeat it, was warmth. Warmth was home, warmth was safety, warmth was what he was running towards and looking for. But what in his life, something that he had recently lost, had been warm?

And then, suddenly, he knew.

* * *

Naruto examined his hands with a look of panic on his face as a delicate golden light seemed to hover around him with his body as the source. "Shikamaru? Neji? Please? What's happening to me?"

"Interesting…" Shikamaru appeared fascinated with the new development. "Bringing you through the shadows with my power seems to have brought forth a latent power of yours. This has never happened to you before?"

"Of course this has never fucking happened to me before!" Naruto exploded. "I look like a set of fucking Christmas lights! Care to explain that to me?"

Neji tugged at Shikamaru's arm, but the phantom ignored him.

"I wonder if it's some kind of reaction to the shadows… I mean, light is darkness's opposite…"

Neji tugged harder at Shikamaru's arm, and this time, he looked down at Neji with a slight frown.

"What?"

Furrowing his brow in concentration, Neji focused all his energy on talking. "Ku… kyu…"

"Don't talk!" Shikamaru immediately tried to cover Neji's mouth, but he pushed the phantom off.

"Kyu… Kyuubi…" He finally managed, and Shikamaru frown in confusion.

"Kyuubi? What the hell does the Kyuubi have to do with any of… this..." He trailed off as Naruto's glowing form caught his eye, and an expression of almost-disbelieving surprise came over his face. "Oh. _Oh._ That's… Oh."

"Kyuubi? What are you guys talking about?" Naruto allowed an almost hysterical panic to seep into his tone and face. "Will somebody please just tell me what's happening to me?"

"Na...ru...to…"

The sound, so unexpected after every other sound that had terrorized them, came from Sasuke. All traces of panic for himself gone, Naruto jumped as if he'd been given an electric shock and raced over to Sasuke's side.

"Sasuke? Can you hear me?" He asked fervently, grasping onto Sasuke's hand with the desperation of one obsessed, but it was obvious that Sasuke couldn't hear him from the way he tossed his head from side to side.

"Na...ruto…" Sasuke repeated, louder and more insistent than before.

"I'm here!" Naruto called out, squeezing Sasuke's hand even harder, but still there was no response.

"Na… Naruto… Wh… where are you?"

"I'm right here!" Naruto almost wept. "Where are you?"

The inexplicable golden glow surrounding Naruto grew steadily stronger as he hovered over Sasuke until its harsh light became too bright for Neji's gaze and he was forced to look away, but he still heard Sasuke's next words, almost as if answering Naruto's unheard question.

"I'm trying to find you…"


	30. Awakening

..."Na...ruto…" Sasuke repeated, louder and more insistent than before.

"I'm here!" Naruto called out, squeezing Sasuke's hand even harder, but still there was no response.

"Na… Naruto… Wh… where are you?"

"I'm right here!" Naruto almost wept. "Where are you?"

The inexplicable golden glow surrounding Naruto grew steadily stronger as he hovered over Sasuke until its harsh light became too bright for Neji's gaze and he was forced to look away, but he still heard Sasuke's next words, almost as if answering Naruto's unheard question.

"I'm trying to find you…"

* * *

All of a sudden, the darkness around Sasuke became less absolute and cold, and he stopped in surprise and confusion. From some majestic, indiscernible source, a golden light seemed to be permeating the space around him. The light was hazy, like a warm golden smoke, and it didn't illuminate far into the darkness, instead coming between it and Sasuke like a wall.

Turning his head back and forth, Sasuke searched for the source of the golden light, but in vain. In no one place was it thicker than anywhere else, making it impossible to tell a direction from which it emanated, until Sasuke looked up.

Directly above his head was veritable fountain of golden light so bright it hurt his eyes to look at it. Like the sun breaking at dawn, it swept through his dark mindscape with a cleansing warmth, bringing with it a sense of home.

Here it was: the special Something that would defeat the Akatsuki's cold. Here was warmth, here was safety, here was home, and Sasuke reached out toward it without a second thought.

Much to Neji's surprise, in almost the complete opposite of earlier, the closer Naruto got to Sasuke, the calmer he got. Passing a gentle hand over Sasuke's brow, Naruto gazed down on him with the look of gently loving worry that one would wear when attending to a lover, and Neji was struck by how much they looked, especially with the golden glow around them, like a Renaissance painting of an angel hovering protectively over a mortal.

Oblivious to everything happening around him, Naruto leaned down closer to Sasuke and whispered something in his ear. Sasuke strained upwards in response to his voice, one hand reaching up, which Naruto caught and pressed against his face. The words on his lips were easy to read: _Come back to me._

As if breaking through the surface of a deep pool of water, Sasuke suddenly gasped and opened his eyes wide, but this time, they were awake and capturing every detail. He swung his head back and forth several times, his gaze collecting data and the gears inside his head almost visibly turning as they processed the information.

Neji's heart jumped into his throat with relief; finally, Sasuke was back and he could be the one making the calls, not Neji. He could take back all the responsibility from Neji and let him do what he did best: watch and guard. Almost immediately after thinking that, Neji felt ashamed of his selfishness, but he couldn't help it; he's never felt comfortable in a leadership position, and having someone who could take that from him was a great load off his shoulders. Especially now, with his… 'complication'.

When Sasuke pulled himself out of his hallucination, the world was so bright outside that he had to blink rapidly and let his eyes adjust the the sheer amount of light. Then it hit him: bright… _outside_ …

Why was he outside? His memory from before falling into whatever dark mental pit he'd just dragged himself out of was spotty at best - hell, the entire past week had been pretty spotty - but he had distinctly remembered being inside the Hokage. What had caused them to change locations, and so drastically? The beach, which Sasuke recognized from their little midnight rendezvous with the Akatsuki, was a ways away from the Hokage. What had possessed them to bring him so far?

And there was that, too: why the hell were there so many people staring at him? Neji and even Shikamaru he understood, though he hadn't been sure if Shikamaru would ever talk to him again after the stupid and completely uncalled for stunt he had pulled, but the presence of people like Ino, Sakura, Kabuto - who looked about ready to shit himself in terror - and Kakashi, in other words, unnecessary additions to an already too-crowded scene, unnerved him.

"Sasuke!"

The sound, so close to his ear, made Sasuke jump, jerking his head to the side so fast he heard a pop as the stiffness worked itself out until he found he found the source. Naruto was hovering over him with an angelically worried expression on his face, one hand resting gently on Sasuke's collar bone and the other holding one of Sasuke's own hands against his cheek. The skin beneath Sasuke's palm was exceptionally warm and solid-feeling, more than normal, even for a phantom like Naruto, like he was touching the cheek of someone still alive.

Even as he took all this in, there was one thing that caught Sasuke's attention and refused to let it go, and he frowned a little, clearing a throat that felt suspiciously hoarse, though from what, Sasuke couldn't quite remember, to speak.

"Naruto? Why are you glowing?"

A look of dawning realization crept over Naruto's face. "Oh, that's right. I'd forgotten that happened."

"Forgotten!? How can you just 'forget' that you look like you've taken a swim in a pool of nuclear waste?"

Naruto fixed him with a baleful look. "I had more pressing things to think about, alright? Besides, nuclear waste is green."

"That's not funny, Naruto."

"To you, maybe."

"If you two have finished with your flirting over there," a voice cut in with a witheringly scornful drawl, "then perhaps we can put some thought into the current situation, no?"

Sasuke was about to snap something back to the smug-looking Shikamaru when he realized he would only be putting fuel on an already out of control fire. With a sigh, he resigned himself to kicking his tired mind into action for whatever was coming next. He shifted his body slightly - God, the ground underneath him was hard, like granite or glass or something - and the movement sent Naruto scurrying back like some small glowing animal fleeing the sound of a human footprint. With a slight frown, Sasuke pushed himself up from his horizontal position - he was laying on a plate of glass; no wonder it was hard - into a vaguely vertical one. Naruto wasn't going back into that 'I'm a little scared of Sasuke even though I watch him sleep' phase, was he?

Flicking his gaze over to the group of confused and terrified humans huddled together at the edge of the beach, Sasuke asked, "What're they doing here?"

"Safety precautions," Shikamaru answered. "They burst in when we were trying to subdue you, and I thought it safer to bring them with us rather than leave them to panic on their own. Though," he tacked on a bit scornfully, "I don't think we avoided the panicking bit."

"You're fucking right, you didn't!" Ino's shrill voice cut in. "You'd have to be mental to go through all that shit and _not_ panic!"

Shikamaru flicked a glance at the conspicuously not panicking Kakashi, who shrugged at the nonverbal accusation. "I've seen stranger; I run the Hokage."

Sasuke couldn't argue with that, so he just shook his head to clear it better. "'Subdue'? Was I really that bad?"

"Ask Neji," Shikamaru said with a little more contempt in his voice. "He seemed to have borne the brunt of your hallucinogenic anger."

"What!?" Sasuke refocused his attention onto Neji, who hadn't spoken yet so Sasuke had yet to devote much attention to. Upon closer inspection, Neji looked injured, his face ashen as if from pain and his frame bent slightly as if under the weight of some great stress.

And then Sasuke saw them: newly formed bruises, still darkening from the redness of a fresh injury, ringing Neji's neck like a necklace of pain. They were ugly bruises, in the clear shape of fingers and mottling with vibrant and dirty shades of purple, and Sasuke felt a little sick to his stomach just looking at them.

"Did I… Did I really do that?" He asked after a harsh swallow, a little fearful of what the answer might be.

With a wince, Neji nodded, and Sasuke felt something swoop in his stomach.

"God, Neji, I'm so sorry. I had no idea-"

"It's alright," Shikamaru interrupted. "He's already forgiven you, being the idiot he is." But the insult was said with such sudden affection that it held no bite.

"Um, I don't know if this is a good time," came the scared but mostly calm voice of Sakura from the sidelines, "but I'm really confused and don't know what's going on, so can someone please explain things to us? Especially the bit about being able to see the ghosts. It's very unnerving."

"Wait." Sasuke struggled to his feet with help from a steadying hand on his elbow courtesy of Naruto. "You can see the ghosts? As in, really see them?"

"As real as you and me," Sakura said, then frowned a little. "Well, not exactly as real as you or me. They're a little fuzzy and it's hard to make out a lot of specific details, but they're still there."

As if to prove her point, Naruto gave Sakura a little wave and she flinched instinctively.

"Sorry," she apologized immediately upon seeing Naruto's crestfallen face. "It's just… unsettling, is all."

Shikamaru raised one strident eyebrow. "Can you think of a reason why this is happening, Sasuke?"

Sasuke was about to answer when something in Shikamaru's face tipped him off to the fact that this wasn't some offhand question. But what was the significance? Certainly not just because they wanted him to fall into a specific conclusion. Though, as soon as Sasuke thought that, it seemed more likely than he had first anticipated.

But why would Shikamaru want him to arrive at a specific conclusion? To back up a conclusion he had already come to, or to make sure Sasuke accepted the conclusion by having him come to it himself? Immediately, he bristled at the signs of Shikamaru's patented puppeteering, but he squashed down the angry words quelling up in his throat. Now was not the time to rehash that particular argument.

Back to the matter at hand, then. What was going on? Sasuke felt like he'd missed a lot of things while he'd been out, but had also experienced many other things that might be even more helpful, if only he could remember them, but the details were slipping away like water through his grasping fingers. The vaguest recollection of darkness and cold and looking for something was all that remained, but he couldn't quite remember the context behind any of it. It was an altogether frustrating feeling.

"Sasuke?"

A warm hand settled on Sasuke's shoulder, and he turned his head to the side to look for the owner of the hand. Behind him, Naruto was looking at him with a concerned expression, the golden glow around him filtering through his blond hair like a halo.

Golden glow… warm hands… warmth… warmth to defeat the cold.

Everything suddenly clicked in Sasuke's brain as the memories of his hallucinations came pouring back all in a rush: Itachi and the instructions he had given him, Pein's threats, the search for something unknown and then realizing it was Naruto.

It was Naruto, and it had been Naruto all along. It had been Kushina who had died first in that car accident over a hundred years ago, leaving Naruto with a generational curse so strongly attached to the Uzumaki family, it refused to leave the body of one even after its death. It was Naruto who had been the first of the Hokage's phantoms, Naruto who had influenced every other ghost who had appeared there into being phantoms, Naruto who had kept the ghosts of Konoha alive all these years, Naruto who had kept Sasuke sane when he first felt the influence of the Akatsuki, and Naruto who had saved him when he'd finally been overcome. What a strong curse, if curse was even the right word for it, the Kyuubi was indeed, if it could do so much without even the knowledge of its host.

The look on Sasuke's face must have been enough for Shikamaru and Neji, because they both released a breath that seemed to both make them tense and relax them at the same time.

"So you came to the same conclusion Neji did," Shikamaru said in a low voice. "Damn."

Naruto looked up. "What?"

Sasuke's eyebrows raised at the curse. "Why 'damn'? What's wrong with things being this way?"

"What things? What's wrong?" Exasperation at being ignored started to filter into Naruto's voice.

"Nothing; it just… complicates things." Shikamaru shook his head once, a stern shake designed to clear the head of excess thought.

Naruto stamped a foot in frustration. "What does it complicate!? And so help me God, if you ignore me one more time, I won't be held responsible for what I do!"

"It doesn't have to complicate things; just tell him straight up." Sasuke turned to Naruto and looked straight into his eyes. "Naruto, you're the Kyuubi."

Naruto had his mouth open and some smart retort no doubt ready, but as soon as Sasuke's words registered in his brain, he froze in shock. His lips moving slowly, as if under some extreme cold, he asked, "Sorry, what was that? I must have heard you wrong. I could have sworn you said I'm-"

"The Kyuubi," Sasuke finished for him, and Naruto's face scrunched up in a grimacing mockery of laughter.

"That's a good joke," he chuckled hoarsely with panic dancing in his eyes. "You're kidding, right, Sasuke? Sasuke? Please tell me you're kidding."

"I'm not," Sasuke said in an even and quiet tone. "We found out when we were doing some research. The Kyuubi is a generational curse of the Uzumaki family. It belonged to your mother when she moved here to Konoha, and when she died it moved to you. When you died shortly after, there was no one to move to, so it just… stayed with you."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Naruto asked with tears about to form in his eyes.

"We only figured it out a few minutes ago, and before that, we weren't really talking and then I had my whole 'episode' there," Sasuke explained, though he knew it all sounded like cheap excuses. "We knew about Kushina, but we had assumed that it had left your family once the line ended and found another to attach itself to. We didn't tell you because we-" Sasuke cast a glance at Neji, then corrected himself, "- _I_ thought you would be safer not knowing, with everything that's been happening."

"So… I'm the Kyuubi…" Naruto said thoughtfully, but it still sounded like he was about to cry. "I guess this puts a damper on the 'destroy or hide away forever so the Akatsuki don't get the Kyuubi' plans."

So this was the 'complication' Shikamaru had predicted. Well, that could be easily deflected. "We would never do that to you, Naruto!" Sasuke protested. "We'll find some way to protect you, I promise."

"Save the declarations of devotion for another time, boys," Shikamaru said with rising panic in his voice, something so out of character for him that Sasuke looked up at him immediately with growing alarm. "We're about to have company."

A second before the harsh voice spoke, Sasuke felt the black auras as well and mentally cursed his own stupidity. Why had he trusted such a vulnerable area to be free of eavesdroppers?

"Well, well, well," the voice of Pein the Akatsuki drawled in a smug tone, and everyone on the beach turned towards the point where it came from, but the owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen. "So you managed to find the Kyuubi for us after all, didn't you, little Uchiha?"

"What!?" Naruto gasped aloud, but Sasuke just gritted his teeth and shoved Naruto behind him.

"Just get behind me and stay quiet," he hissed, and the pure terror in his voice must have been enough to get Naruto to follow his request. Sasuke's eyes roved all around the edges of the beach, unable to pinpoint any of the Akatsukis' location through the thick, dark aura they all were exuding, only knowing that more than one was present.

"Though," Pein's voice continued, "I never did expect that it would be something with a conscious. That does put a damper on things, doesn't it, boys?"

A chorus of affirmative voices sounded through the edge of the treeline, and Sasuke's hair stood on end. How many of them were there? Three? Four? All five of them?

"But that's quite fine; we can manage a live one."

Behind him, Sasuke felt Naruto shudder at the cruelty in the voice.

"But," Pein's voice continued from the shadows, "it doesn't seem to me that you're holding up your end of the bargain, does it, little Uchiha? After all, you were just swearing to protect our little precious Kyuubi, unless my hearing was mistaken and what you're really going to do is hand it right over to us."

Sasuke's pulse thundered loud in his ears as he realized what the Akatsuki was doing: they were offering him one last chance to follow their orders before they went all out. _Well, let them go all out,_ Sasuke suddenly thought brashly. _It's not the first crazy thing I've done today, and certainly won't be the last._

Out loud, he said, "Like hell I will."

All around him, gasps echoed as everyone heard and understood his statement for what it was: a declaration of war. The cold hand of terror gripped Sasuke's heart and lungs as soon as he'd realized exactly what he'd done, but it was driven away almost immediately by a warm palm pressed trustingly against the small of his back, and Sasuke stood up a little straighter.

"Of course." Pein's voice, tinged with distaste, echoed over the beach. "Your conscious won't let you hurt your precious 'friend'. Well, I suppose that leaves us with no choice. Since we did make a deal that you've now backed out on, I guess we'll just have to kill you."

As if that was some kind of prearranged signal, all five Akatsuki stepped out of the shadows at the edge of the treeline, spread out to form a barrier between the people on the beach and the relative safety offered by the woods and the trail back to the Hokage. The three teenagers huddling near the edge of the beach screamed and scrambled away from the robed figures, answering Sasuke's question as to whether they really could see and hear everything that was going on in the spectral plane of existence. Deidara, the pyrokinetic Akatsuki, gave them a cruel smile and lit a small flame on his index finger, and Kabuto promptly fainted dead away, leaving Sakura and Ino to catch his lifeless body.

All five of them. Sasuke swallowed against the suddenly large lump of terrified dryness in his throat. Unable to do anything else but joke to try and break the tension, he managed through his dry throat, "Well, at least we know Kabuto wasn't their inside man."

"No," a new voice said from behind Sasuke, accompanied by a click and something round and metallicly cold that he knew to be the business end of a gun pressing against the back of his skull. "That would be me."

* * *

And the plot thickens ;) Oh, no, another cliffhanger? That's right, I'm evil. But don't worry; you'll only have to wait until tomorrow for it to be resolved.

Addi out!


	31. A Rat Among Men

Sasuke thrust his hands into the air, the universal sign for inaggression against a firearm, and the barrel retreated back enough for him to turn around and see the face of his captor, but he didn't take the proffered chance right away. He knew that voice, his mind was screaming at him, but he didn't want to believe it. _It can't be_! He thought wildly, but something in Pein's cruel smile told him he was all too right.

"What's wrong?" Pein jeered, and the other Akatsuki laughed with him. "Turn around and take a look- if you dare to."

Slowly, Sasuke forced his body to turn around to face the individual behind him. His feet, lagging slightly behind his body, crunched in the sand at the edge of the patch of glass where bits of the hardened stuff had broken off and started wearing back down into fine grit. The toe of his shoe caught on the edge of the plate of glass and broke it off, the sounding ricocheting through the silence around Sasuke like a gunshot. Like a shot from the gun pointed at the back of his head.

The thought almost made Sasuke stop in his tracks, but the cruel faces of the Akatsuki and their jeering smiles propelled him forward again, and he turned his head the rest of the way before he could talk himself out of it.

His eyes were downcast when he turned, so the first thing he saw was her shoes: a pair of purple sandals that looked both fashionable and practical enough to wear hiking on an overgrown trail. Slowly, afraid of what he might find when his eyes finally found their destination, Sasuke's gaze panned up the girl's body, from her jean shorts to her tshirt and finally to her familiar face.

"Hello, Sasuke," Tenten said, a trace of something indefinable in her eyes. "Did you miss me? Probably not; I dare say you never really even noticed I was gone, did you? I can't say I blame you, though. You were rather… out of it, to say the least."

"Tenten," Sasuke said sadly. "I'd rather hoped it wouldn't be you."

"Tenten?" Ino cried, looking back and forth between Sasuke and the end of the gun Tenten was pointing at him. "What are you doing?! Sasuke's our friend, remember?"

Tenten didn't even spare a glance in Ino's direction. "You suspected me?"

"I suspected everyone; I had to." Sasuke took a minute step back. "That's why I cut myself off from everyone."

"Oh?" Tenten raised a single eyebrow. "Not because you had gone mad?"

Sasuke took another tiny step backwards. "That didn't set in immediately. But if you would allow me a question…?"

"Only if you stop your sneaking away," Tenten said harshly, tightening her finger on the trigger,

Sasuke quickly stopped his motion and raised his hands a little higher.

"Good. You can ask your question now."

After a slight uncertain hesitation. Sasuke asked, "Can you… see them? The ghosts?"

"No." A look of contempt crossed Tenten's face. "But don't assume that I'm completely ignorant just because I lack your glorified gift. I can see people's auras like a smudge around their bodies, even the auras of people no longer alive. So, no, I can't see ghosts like you can, but I sure as hell know they exist. I'm a lot smarter than you lot give me credit for."

From behind him, Sasuke heard Shikamaru shift slightly forward, interested in what Tenten had said. "So, that night when we were here about a week ago, when you said you were aiming from the reflections on the surface of the lake, you were actually aiming at the auras?"

Tenten's gaze flickered to focus on Shikamaru for a brief second, then refocused on Sasuke. "Yes, though I'd never aim directly at the Masters."

"Got her well-trained, don't we, little Uchiha?" Hidan, the white-haired Akatsuki draugr, jeered, his lips pulling into a snarling feral mockery of a smile.

Tenten's steady gaze wavered for a second at the words, but it was enough for Sasuke to take note of.

"Please, Hidan," Pein sighed. "Let her be. She still has some use yet."

The muscle directly below Tenten's left eye twitched, but the movement was slight enough that only Sasuke, standing an arm's length away, could catch it.

A strange mix of emotions was bubbling inside Sasuke, from exhaustion to betrayal to hope to a dulled fear, but on the outside he felt, strangely, more calm and controlled than he ever had before. Perhaps it was the exhaustion talking, or the shock of his hallucination that still hadn't worn off, but whatever it was, Sasuke had to thank it, for it was giving him a level head. It was different than the coldness of before that froze his heart and made all his decisions cold as ice in that it didn't limit his emotions, but rather cut them off somewhere around his throat so his heart didn't interfere with his head. And it was this that allowed his head to come up with an idea. A crazy, probably suicidal and definitely stupid idea, but an idea nonetheless.

Keeping his gaze locked with Tenten's, Sasuke took a step toward her, and her eyes widened almost infinitesimally. Without breaking eye contact, Sasuke called over his right shoulder, "Shikamaru, my bag got left inside the Hokage, didn't it?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Shikamaru replied, the tone of his voice making it clear that he understood what Sasuke was trying to do and would play along.

From over his left shoulder, Sasuke heard the laughter of the five Akatsuki, in particular a high, childish giggle that went on and on, but they appeared amused enough by his actions that they would probably let him continue without interruption.

Sasuke took another step toward Tenten so the barrel of the gun brushed against his chest, and Tenten started to look less steady. "Wh- what are you doing?"

"Just thinking," Sasuke said innocently, nerves bubbling furiously under his outer calm. "Taking stock, and the like. Without my weapons, it seems the only one a human could wield would be that gun you're holding. If it's loaded, that is."

"'If'?" Tenten's eyes narrowed and her lips tightened into a thin line. "What do you mean by 'if'?"

"Well," Sasuke said, allowing a goading note of incredulity to creep into his voice, "it's just that you've bluffed us once before, so it's only natural to assume you'd bluff a second time, no?"

If possible, Tenten's lips got even thinner. "I'm not bluffing."

"Aren't you, though?" Sasuke asked spitefully, slowly lowering his hands.

"Perhaps the bluff was that I was bluffing," Tenten said with a tone of mockery, her chin and tone raising in challenge.

"I don't think so…" Sasuke almost sang delicately, and when anger flashed within Tenten's gaze, he made a sudden fast grab for the end of the gun.

But not fast enough. Tenten saw the move coming and deflected it by turning so his grab landed on her upper arm, a foot away from the gun, then jabbed an elbow into his unprotected side for good measure.

The sharp jab to his kidneys sent Sasuke reeling back in pain, and he collapsed on the ground holding his side. _Bad idea, bad idea!_ Sasuke's mind started chanting, and the pulsing in his ribs couldn't help but agree with it, panic starting to find its way through his emotional blockage. Sakura gave a cry of protest at Tenten's actions, but neither she nor Sasuke paid her any attention. Tenten took a step forward so she towered over Sasuke like a giant, forcing him to look up to see her face.

For the first time, there was palpable anger in Tenten's voice, and her knuckles whitening as she clutched the gun hard enough that it shook in her grasp. "You think I'm joking, don't you?" She hissed through gritted teeth. "You have no idea what I've been going through these past three years! Constant terror, threats on my life if I couldn't deliver, hundreds of sleepless nights sneaking out to comb that stupid excuse for a library- it was a nightmare! And then you showed up, all high and mighty with your 'I'm so special because I can see ghosts' attitude, and I suddenly have no use left except this!" She gestured wildly to the gun in her hand. "So you can bet your last fucking dollar that this gun's loaded. I'd already be dead if it wasn't."

"I-"

Sasuke got no further than that, for Tenten's face hardened even more than it already was, and she swiftly swung the gun to point at the plate of glass on the sand and pulled the trigger. The glass was a circle about five feet in diameter, and the bullet hit it about a foot away from the center on the side Sasuke was on, shattering it with a crack almost as loud as the one that came from the gun. Sasuke instinctively shielded his eyes, and it was a good thing he did, because shards of glass flew everywhere, peppering the beach and people with the sharp pieces. When Sasuke lowered his hands, he saw that they and his arms were dotted with small scratches, and judging by the cries from behind him, the others had faced similar fates.

Since Tenten was still standing with the gun pointed at the now-shattered glass plate, Sasuke dared to take the first look behind him since he had first turned and seen who was pointing the gun at him. Shikamaru had obviously done his best to shield everyone with his telekinesis, but his chest was heaving from exertion and it looked like he'd only partially succeeded. Neji, who was closest to the phantom, had escaped relatively unscathed, but Ino, Sakura, and Kabuto all had some minor scratches and Kakashi, who was the furthest away from Shikamaru and the closest to the plate besides Sasuke, had a shard at least two inches long sticking out of his left forearm. Blood, thick and red, ran from the wound far too quickly and spattered against the ground like raindrops.

"Kakashi!" Sakura cried, jumping up to catch him as he swayed, his face draining of color, leaving him with an ashen look in his cheeks. Ino wasn't far behind, jumping up to grab Kakashi from the other side as his knees started to buckle underneath the weight of his own body.

"Dammit, Tenten," Ino cried angrily, rounding on the girl and trying to help Sakura manage Kakashi's weight at the same time. "What do you think you're doing?"

"The only thing I can do," Tenten said in a slightly softer tone, and something completely different flashed through her gaze. It was gone as quickly as it had come, but Sasuke was sure he'd seen it. Just as sure as he could see the red drops trickling down into his vision.

Wait. What?

Sasuke immediately slapped a hand to his forehead, then just as immediately regretted it as a spike of pain drove itself into his skull. When he drew the hand away with a wince, his fingers came away wet and sticky with bright red blood.

 _Shit, shit, shit!_ Sasuke yanked the bandana from around his neck, the one whose original intent was to keep the dust from entering his mouth and nose when he went through all the old records in the shack, and pressed it against the wound. Luckily, it appeared like it was a shallow cut and the glass had just scraped him in passing rather than lodging itself in his skin, but it was still dangerous. Head wounds tended to bleed a lot, and the placing of this one, right above his eye, made it particularly worrisome because it could impede his vision. An Uchiha valued his eyesight above all other things, because without it, he would be, quite literally, fighting blind.

There was a shuffle behind Sasuke as someone started to move forward, but was halted by the barrel of the gun as Tenten swung it in his direction.

"And don't think about pulling anything," she warned the errant mover. "These bullets are silver-tipped, so they can punch through you as well as any human."

Sasuke managed to turn his head around just in time to see Naruto blanch in fear and back away a few steps. At the edge of the beach, there arose a displeased hiss from the gathered Akatsuki.

"Do not threaten the Kyuubi!" Pein hissed from between his teeth. "Remember, we need him!"

Tenten immediately pointed the gun at the ground, but the threat was still there. From across the beach, Sasuke could see the wheels turning in Shikamaru's head, and apparently Tenten could as well, because the gun was pointing at him the next second.

"And before you think about calling this one a bluff," she warned harshly, "just remember what I'd have to do to prove it either way."

Shikamaru also had the decency to loose few shades of color from his cheeks when he comprehended the ramifications of that. Apparently, he wasn't confident enough in his deduction to call that particular bluff.

"So, you see you have no choice," Pein said arrogantly, crossing his arms over his chest in a smug manor. "You can either give us the Kyuubi - conscious being or not - or die trying to protect it."

Sasuke tried to struggle to his feet with the bandana still pressed to his forehead wound, but was confronted with the barrel of the gun before getting halfway there, forcing him back into the dirt. Leaning his head back to try and divert the flow of blood away from his eye, he inadvertently locked eyes with Tenten's unprotected gaze for a second, and he saw past the hard mask she was wearing. She was afraid, deathly afraid, but her hands were too shocked to tremble. Deep within that gaze, something, some untainted, primal part of her, was crying out for help. Then it was gone as soon as it had come, leaving only a contemptuous curl of her upper lip.

"Stay down," she snapped, cocking the gun again in Sasuke's face. "And keep your hands where I can see them!"

Sasuke hastily lifted the hand bracing his weight on the sand over his head, but without anything to prop him up, he fell over backwards, landing hard on the shattered remains of the glass plate. He felt abrupt pain as some of the sharper shards scratched his skin, cutting open the material of his shirt to reach his flesh. Gasping in pain, Sasuke lay still, trying not to move and send the shards of glass even deeper into his body.

The barrel of Tenten's gun lowered until it pointed directly between Sasuke's eyes. Quick inhales and sharp exhales, made even sharper and quicker by pain and fear, racked Sasuke's body, and for the first time, he considered the fact that he really could die here. His heartbeat thudded in his ears like the brassy knell of the executioner's gong, slowing down like the sound was reaching for him through a vat of honey as the world around him seemed to freeze. Casting frantic eyes around him for something, anything, to grasp onto, Sasuke found nothing, only the eyes of those as frightened as himself.

 _It's a shame, really_ , the spiteful part of Sasuke's mind taunted him. _All these people dead, and all because of you and your damn pride. Thought you could take on the Akatsuki alone, did you? Well, now you're paying the price. You've doomed Neji by asking for his help, Kakashi and the others by association, and Naruto… well, Naruto was fucked either way. But most of all, you've doomed yourself by your arrogance and your stupid fucking pride._

Sasuke's mental voice broke a little on the last words, signaling that even it had given up all hope. His gaze flickered up to see Tenten's uncompromising face and the five Akatsuki that had moved in behind her, laughing at his terrified expression.

All five… behind her…

Sasuke could tell that Tenten realized it at exactly the same moment he did, because their eyes widened just the slightest bit in tandem. Tenten's iron control over her face began to falter, showing all the pain she was feeling inside. Her tight grip on the gun caused it to tremble, she mouthed to him, _If I help you, can you promise my safety?_

Sasuke's heart lept into his throat, hope stirring in his breast once more. _This was it!_ He thought excitedly, his heartbeat pounding in his ears like a drum of life rather than one of death. _If Tenten switches sides, she and I, plus the phantoms, could put up a reasonable defense! We might actually have a chance!_

Then the second part of her question hit Sasuke, and his hopes plummeted. _Can you promise my safety?_ He couldn't even promise his own safety, let alone hers! There was no way he could in good conscious tell Tenten she would come out of this alive, any more than he could bring any of the Akatsuki back to life.

Tenten must have seen the rise and subsequent fall of hope on his face, because her own tightened in fear. Wetting his lips, Sasuke whispered in the quietest voice he could, "No, but… you're the only shot we have."

Shock caused Tenten's eyes to widen for the briefest of seconds, then she shut her entire face down, a curtain of emotionlessness seeming to drop down over her features to hide what was going on inside her mind. Sasuke held his breath; this could be the turning point.

Suddenly, a glowing blond halo blocked Sasuke's vision of Tenten's face as Naruto jumped in front of him, placing himself as a shield between Sasuke and the gun.

"Please stop!" He begged, and Sasuke could tell by the catch in his voice that tears would be running down his face without even seeing it. "Just leave them alone, please! I'm the one you want, right?"

"Naruto-!" Sasuke tried to struggle to his feet again, but this time, it was Naruto's power that kept him trapped against the ground, not Tenten's gun.

"You need me, not them, don't you?" Naruto continued, his voice growing shrill from both fear and determination. "If… If you don't stop threatening them, I'll stay right here! You… you'll have to go through me!"

"Oh, but we can't have that," Pein interjected with a mild amusement. "The Kyuubi must remain unharmed. Well, his little show has been amusing while it lasted, but now it's time for the curtain to close. You're act is over, but ours is just beginning. Lads - and Deidara-"

"Fuck you," Deidara interjected on a loud mutter.

Pein continued as if he hadn't even spoken, holding a hand up in the air. "-assume your positions. The fun begins now."

Immediately, all the Akatsuki straightened up and stood at attention. With evil smiles starting to creep across their faces, they each produced something with which to fight. Zetsu, the one with the green-tinted hair and face, raised his hands and the tree limbs behind him began to writhe, as if they were made of snakes, and next to him, Tobi clapped his hands in childish delight before summoning up, seemingly from thin air, a set of children's jacks that had been sharpened to deadly points, elevating them off his palm with telekinesis and forcing them to orbit his hand like murderous planets around a bloodstained sun. On the other side of Pein, Hidan, the platinum blond one, pulled a cutlass made of solid silver from inside his robes, its shining surface made dull from dried blood. Grinning fiendishly, he drew the edge of the blade across one forearm, spattering drops of thick, congealed blood on the ground, then licked the edge of the blade, staining his teeth with blood and turning his smile inhuman. Next to him, Deidara simply lit both of his hands on fire, the flames rising up to illuminate his cruel face. Pein was the only one whose hands remained empty, but his sharp gaze made it clear that he wasn't without a weapon.

Despite the glass at his back, Sasuke scrambled to his feet, gritting his teeth as he felt his skin minutely tear in dozens of places, and tied the blood-soaked bandana around his head to cover his wound and keep his hands free. Tenten had pointed the end of her gun away from him as soon as Naruto had decided to become a human shield, but at the sight of Sasuke on his feet, she readied it again, pointing it just to the side of Naruto's, and therefore Sasuke's, head.

"Naruto, get out of the way!" Sasuke yelled, trying to drag Naruto back behind him and being foiled by his sudden insubstantiality. "You're not helping!"

Naruto turned back to Sasuke with a tearstained face. "But… But maybe… maybe if I let them take me-"

Sasuke cut him off before he even had a chance to finish his sentence. "Don't be a fool!" He roared, grabbing for Naruto's shoulders once again and this time finding them solid enough to touch. "They'll kill us all!"

"Quite right," Pein said calmly, as if he was discussing the weather rather than murder. "And starting with you, my fine Uchiha. Zetsu?"

Before either Sasuke or Naruto could react, a set of vines neither of them had noticed creeping across the ground lept up and wrapped around Naruto, binding him fast and starting to haul him backwards. Fear causing his eyes to widen, Naruto tried to fight off the vines, but only succeeded in slowing his progression back towards the Akatsuki. Sasuke tried to reach out and grab him, but was halted by the cold metal of Tenten's gun pressing up against his temple.

"Naruto!" The cry came from behind Sasuke, most likely Shikamaru, and a blast of power surged past Sasuke to Naruto, but was deflected by a second vine.

There was a scream from either Ino or Sakura behind Sasuke as the vine shot past Sasuke and collided with, based on the shout that followed, Shikamaru, but he didn't dare turn his head to see what was happening. The cold metal of the gun bit into his temple like a shallow snakebite, spreading a poisonous fear throughout his body that robbed it of its free will.

"Tenten, you fucking traitor!" Someone screamed, but Sasuke was too numb from fear to tell who it was.

"That's right. I am a traitor."

The words were spoken so quietly that Sasuke almost missed them, but so strongly that they stilled everyone in the clearing. Even Naruto and Zetsu stopped in their struggle to hear what Tenten was going to say. Sasuke dared to turn his head the slightest bit so he could watch her face out of the corner of his eye.

Tenten's face was troubled, but in an unreadable way. Her hand was shaking slightly, making the gun against Sasuke's head tremble. Mouth slightly open, she wetted her lips before speaking again.

"I've betrayed everyone: my friends, my family, my very home. I have nothing left to lose, nothing left to live for. I am a traitor, and there's nothing I can do to change that."

"That's right! You're our little bitch now!" Pein crowed, extending his hand forward to point at Sasuke. "And now, Bitch, you're going to put a bullet in the Uchiha's head."

"No!" Several voices screamed at once, but the loudest of all was Naruto. He started struggling harder against his bonds, but his effort was in vain, and he only succeeded in entangling himself even further in the vines.

But Sasuke felt no fear as he looked into Tenten's face, only a numbness that came from shock. His gaze flicked back and forth between her eyes and the message they were trying to convey and her free hand, inching down her side to her hip. His eyes darted back up to meet hers, and he nodded almost imperceptibly. He understood.

"I am a traitor," Tenten echoed hollowly, her eyes telling Sasuke to be ready. "And I'll stay a traitor, because I'm going to betray someone _right now._ "

Without warning, Tenten flipped the gun she was holding onto the air and grabbed a second gun from the concealed holster at her back. Sasuke grabbed the gun out of the air, the grip sliding comfortably into his hand to sit like it belonged there, and pointed it at Zetsu while Tenten pointed hers directly at Pein's head. The element of surprise was with them - the cruel smiles of the Akatsuki had yet to slip from their faces and be replaced by shock, or better yet, fear - but wouldn't be for much longer, so Sasuke took advantage of the moment and fired a shot directly at Zetsu's head.

The ghost reacted to the sound of the shot, pulling a section of branches in front of him to stop the bullet, but not quite fast enough. Instead of deflecting the bullet entirely, he only managed to angle it away from his face, and it sunk into his shoulder with a sickening sound.

Zetsu roared, the sounding echoing through the clearing like the mad cry of an injured wild beast. He staggered, one hand coming up to cover the bleeding hole in his shoulder, and lost control over the vines he was using to bind Naruto. The phantom immediately broke free from his constraints and flew to Sasuke, burying his face, suddenly that of a child, in the Uchiha's now filthy shirt. From behind them, there was a deep inhaling gasp as Shikamaru tore the vine that had been choking him away from his throat.

Patting the crying Naruto awkwardly on the head with one hand and keeping the gun trained on Zetsu, who was now kneeling on the ground, his face racked with pain, with the other, Sasuke surveyed the strange scene now unfolding in front of him. The rest of the Akatsuki rose high into the air and surrounded the grounded Zetsu, their faces all unfeeling masks except for Pein's, whose face was filled with a terrible fury.

"You let him injure you?" He seethed, a wild rage rampaging across his face. "How dare you show such weakness! You dishonor your name- nay, the name of our entire race! How dare you allow even a dream of defeat into your mind!?"

A sudden fear overtook Zetsu's face, and he cowered against the ground, vines starting to creep up his form like some kind of living shield. Confused, Sasuke looked from him to the four ghosts hovering over him. They all had wild, hungry looks in their eyes, as if the scent of blood had turned them all into rabid beasts. What was going on?

"N-no!" Zetsu cried, cringing on the ground in fear. "Forgive me, Master, Comrades! Please, forgive me!"

Pein drew in a sharp intake of breath, pulling it through his teeth so it resounded with an ominous hiss. "Forgive you? Forgiveness is for those who deserve it, Zetsu, and you've just shown us that you clearly don't deserve it. Didn't he, comrades?"

Chilling laughter echoed over the beach, making everyone present shiver and curl into themselves, instinctively huddling together like mice from the sound of a hawk's wing beats. Even Zetsu flinched back into the ground, but realized his mistake almost as soon as he'd made it, his eyes widening even further in pure, unadulterated terror. Sasuke faltered in his aim, pointing at first one, then another, then another, of the ghosts. Which one should he focus on?

Zetsu tried to push himself up from the ground, but only made it halfway before fell again, clutching his injured arm. "Please, don't!" He begged, tears of terror starting form in his eyes. "I- I've known you as long as I've been dead! You're my comrades, my… my friends! Please don't do this to me!"

He broke down in sobs of terror, and the other Akatsuki looked down upon him with a mixture of loathing and bloodlust. Pein in particular had a hungry expression on his face, like someone had just placed a huge slab of rare beef on his plate and he couldn't wait to devour it.

With a wicked grin, Pein hissed, "Begging will get you nothing; you of all people should know that, Zetsu. You must remember the oath you took when you joined us?"

The other three Akatsuki joined him, speaking the words in a disjointed, hellish chorus. "Show no weakness, or be shown no mercy."

"Oh, God," Zetsu sobbed, tears as fat as raindrops rolling down his face and splashing against the leaves that trembled around him.

"There's no God here," Hidan cackled, running the edge of his silver cutlass down his uninjured forearm and causing blood to drip down and spatter in Zetsu's terrified face, anticipation clear in the hungry light in his eyes and the cruel tilt to his sneer. "No God- only Pain." But the way he said it, it was impossible to know if he meant pain, or Pein.

Sasuke watched in horror as Pein rose higher into the air, towering over Zetsu and the others like an ancient pagan deity of murder. "Alright, lads - and Deidara -"

"Fuck you," Deidara snarled, but it was anticipatory rather than angry.

"-you know what to do. _Finish him_."

Like feral dogs that had been let off their chains to feed for the first time in days, the three Akatsuki shot downwards toward Zetsu, who screamed at their approach and tried to throw up a barrier of branches and vines, but it was no use. Tobi was the first one to strike, sending his sharpened jacks to hack through his leafy shield as easily as if it was damp paper. Hidan was next, jumping through the opening Tobi has created to draw his cutlass sharply across Zetsu's throat. Abruptly, his screams changed to gurgles as blood erupted from his cut throat and mouth, clogging up his windpipe and making breathing impossible. Not wasting any time, Deidara sent in a fireball that caught Zetsu straight on the chest, splashing outward and engulfing his entire body in flames. The inferno raged, strong and hot, over his entire body before going out as suddenly as it had flared up, leaving behind only a pile of ashes and a few charred branches.

Everyone on the beach stood aghast at the spectacle they had just witnessed. The whole episode had lasted only a few seconds, but the horror it invoked lasted much longer, stretching the silence until it was broken by Ino's piercing scream. The scream continued on and on, and even Sakura's hysterical attempts to calm her down seemed to be causing her more panic than Ino comfort. Sasuke could only stare, frozen, in horror at the remains of what had, only a few seconds ago, been a sentient creature, the gun becoming slippery in his grip as a cold sweat broke out over his whole body. From behind him, Naruto clutched his shirt harder, spectral tears dripping onto the fabric and dampening it.

Slowly, the eyes of the three ghosts near the ground swung around until they focused on the group of humans and phantoms. Sasuke took a couple of steps backwards, closer to the injured and their caretakers, and saw Tenten on his left do the same. Glancing to his right, he saw Shikamaru come up next to him, the three of them forming a single line of defense between the murderous and the potential murderees. He and the ghost exchanged a single glance and nod before refocusing all their attention on the evil auras now being broadcast in their direction. Sasuke may not see eye to eye with Shikamaru over everything, but right now, he was glad he had the war-experienced phantom at his side.

A childish giggle echoed over the beach, its high timber easily cutting through the din of Ino's screams. It was coming from Tobi, who was delightedly clapping his hands together in time to the swirl of the bloodstained jacks over his head. "That was fun!" He giggled, his eyes starting to glow red with a mad bloodlust. "Say, Pein, can we do that again?"

Pein floated down towards the ground so he was just barely taller than the other Akatsuki, then he smiled a terrible smile, his face losing all traces of humanity. "Yes, we can do it again, Tobi. In fact, I think we can do it many, many times."

"And the Kyuubi?" Hidan asked, licking what remained of Zetzu's blood off his silver cutlass. His eyes, too, started to glow with a demonic light.

"Don't harm the Kyuubi, but take from any of the others the pleasure you crave!" Pein roared, throwing both arms to the sky. "We have a hunger to be satisfied! Tonight, we kill."

Somehow, Sasuke found his voice, and he raised the gun to point at Pein, shouting in a voice that sounded pitifully weak to even his own ears, "We won't let you!"

Four sets of glowing red eyes confronted him with hellish laughter, as if the very notion was absurd. Cackling like a maniac, Pein roared, "You've awoken our bloodlust now, little Uchiha! Nothing can stop us from getting what we want, and what we want is blood. We're not leaving until every last one of you is dead!"

 _Oh, shit._ If there was any doubt about it before, they were certainly in trouble now.

* * *

And yet another pause in the action? Will this fight scene never end? Find out in the next installment of Spectral Eyes: Blood and Smoke, but for now, from me, until the moon rises again over Uchiha and Uzimaki, goodnight.

(This sounds much cooler if you imagine it being read by Mike Bennett.)

Addi out!


	32. Sharingan

Another chapter down! I promise this fight scene is almost over. Maybe.

* * *

Neji was forced to watch, silent and helpless, as the Akatsuki's lust for murder was whetted with one of their own, then their demonically cruel faces were turned on him. Oh, he knew that they were directed at everyone else as well, but the piercing eyes glowing red with madness seemed to single him out stare directly into his soul. His hands clenched with mixed terror and rage, but he didn't know which one was stronger.

Oh, why was he so useless? Why did Sasuke have to put him out of commission so carelessly? Oh, Neji knew it wasn't wholly Sasuke's fault, that he'd been under the influence of a hallucination and God only knows what he thought he was attacking, but it still stung. He should be the one up there next to Sasuke, not that stupid chit of a girl who'd just pointed a gun at his head, for God's sake! He was a Hyuuga, dammit; he was the one who'd trained for these kinds of situations, not some damn local whose only advantage was a few guns loaded with silver-tipped bullets! Where was the justice in this mad world? Though, Neji supposed, it made some kind of twisted, karmic sense; he'd been blocked from the fight by someone on his own side, and Zetsu had also been cannibalized by his own comrades.

Neji had felt safe with Shikamaru next to him, but when the phantom moved up to stand next to Sasuke in a defensive line, a sudden rush of fear swamped over him. He felt naked without his eyes, which he couldn't activate without his voice, and that made him feel more defenseless than he had ever felt before.

And yet, even if Neji was able to activate his Byakugan, what good would it do him? He was the observer, the watchdog; he had no business in the thick of the fight, and no natural weapons with with to defend himself. As much as he hates to admit it, even if he hadn't been injured, there was little he could do in this fight except watch and pray, though he doubted that could do them much good now.

From his perspective, Neji could see all four of the Akatsuki's expressions and the backs of the three people standing against them. Tenten was trembling but strong and Sasuke stood firmly resolute but slightly injured, the bandana on his head tied at a haphazard angle. The only one who looked completely confident was Shikamaru, but then again, Neji was sure he'd faced more daunting situations than this when he had fought in World War 2.

In comparison to them, the Akatsuki looked completely confident, their eyes glowing with a demonic red light and their smiles like snarling wounds slashed across their faces. They looked, in all their feral glory, like a pack of starving wolves restrained by an alpha barely in control of himself, let alone them.

The one advantage they had was the fact that all the Akatsuki, except for Pein, had used their powers before, so Sasuke and the others knew what to expect. That meant they could anticipate a first attack better, but all bets would be off after that. Neji saw Shikamaru making those same connections, his head tilting from one side to the other as he focused his gaze on each of the Akatsuki in turn. When the phantom put one hand behind his back and started calling up a shadow, Neji hastily followed his gaze to see Deidara cackling madly and holding both flame-crowned hands to the sky.

"Pein, can I burn them?" He begged like a child, sparks trailing from his hands like red glitter. "Can I make them _scream?_ "

Pein chuckled, but the sound was more depraved now. "Of course you can; just make sure to save some for the others as well."

"I'll try," the pyrokinetic ghost hissed, "but no promises. If they want some, they'll have to come and get it themselves!"

"Oh, we will," Hidan snarled, biting down on his blade hard enough that the indentations of his teeth could be seen in the soft metal when he released it. "Make no mistake about that."

Tobi giggled at that, the high-pitched sound slicing through the residual noise like a hot knife through melted butter. On and on it rolled without stopping even for breath, grating against Neji's eardrums and making it impossible to tell the passing from time. Time seemed to slow almost to a stop, the only recognizable thing in his world the sound of the maniacal laughter. He quickly clapped both hands over his ears and saw Sakura and Ino next to him do the same, but Kakashi could only cover one ear with his one good hand, and Neji watched almost in fascination as a kind of desperate madness came over his features. Quickly looking back to the three people standing in front of them and taking the brunt of the assault, Neji saw that Shikamaru had plugged his ears with shadows and Sasuke seemed to be fending off the attack with sheer willpower, but Tenten was slowly crumpling under the weight of the maddening energy.

A jolt of terror suddenly shooting through his system, Neji jumped to his feet, but doubled over again when a hand slipped away from his ear for a second. _No wonder Tenten's flagging,_ he thought in amazement. _She can't even cover her ears!_

Careful not to let his hands fall away from his ears this time, Neji leaned up again, raking his gaze over the Akatsuki. They all looked like they were straining forward, fighting against some power holding them back. But why weren't they attacking? With Tenten almost down on her knees, they wouldn't have a better opportunity, unless they were waiting everyone to completely succumb, but Neji doubted the feral ghosts had that much patience in them at that moment. What, then, was holding them back?

Swallowing against a sudden gorge rising from his stomach, Neji tried to speak, but only a harsh cough ripped its way out of his sore throat. A new panic swept over him; how long would he be forced into silence? Another hour? A day? A week?

This new fear causing him to momentarily forget the dull blades of sound ricocheting around the beach, Neji closed his eyes and let one hand drop to his throat, feeling the tender bruises that were starting to form. As soon as he did, the maniacal giggle assaulted his mind again, but he gritted his teeth and did his best to ignore it, drawing in a harsh breath for another attempt.

"B...ga…. Bya...gan…. Byakugan!"

Neji finally got it on his third try, activating the inner part of his eyes that could see things even Sasuke couldn't. Opening his eyes, he beheld a scene much different than the one he had closed them on. Colors undefinable to the normal human eye swirled about him, resonating with the madness of Tobi's shrill laugh, and a sickly dark aura was creeping over the entire area, leaving only Naruto untouched, who now looked like a prism of pure light to his refined gaze, stretching up into the sky as far as he could see. Squinting past him to the Akatsuki, Neji regarded the three mad dogs and their handler with a critical eye.

To his surprise, Neji found them as equally shrouded in colored light as Naruto had been before he had activated his eyes. Deidara's aura was a mottled yellow-orange, like flame, Tobi's a light blue, Hidan's a deep blood red, and Pein- Pein's was a pure white, like the sterility of a clean white lab coat. A thin rope of aura, shifting in color from the bright shades of Deidara's, Tobi's, and Hidan's auras to that of Pein's, stretched from Pein to each of the other Akatsuki like a leash, seeming to hold them back and urge them forward at the same time. A fourth strand, forest green in color at the end, was flicking free in the wind. It was faded, much duller in hue than the other strands, and seemed to be disintegrating quickly; within a few heartbeats, it was completely gone.

 _What are those things?_ Neji thought, a frown creasing the skin between his eyebrows. _Some kind of restraint? The fourth one must have been Zetsu's, but for what purpose?_

As Neji watched, half fascinated, half scared out of his mind, Pein held up a hand and Tobi's terrifying giggle stopped, leaving the beach in a sudden loud silence that stunned everyone almost more than the noise had. Sasuke reeled, the aim of his gun wavering as he sought to regain his lost equilibrium, but his reaction wasn't as strong as Tenten's, who fell to her knees in the mixture of shattered glass and sand, almost dropping the gun. Neji narrowed his gaze; there was something around her, something white and sticky, like spectral treacle that had been spread over her normally pristine aura. A tiny rope of it, almost too small to be noticed, trailed away from her, and Neji followed it with his gaze until he saw where it lead: directly to Pein.

In less than an instant, it all clicked, the ropes of spectral aura, the thick spectral stickiness around Tenten, why there Akatsuki weren't attacking: Pein was in direct control of the others through those ropes, whipping them into a frenzy by keeping them chained until the anticipation built up past a point where they would be able to control themselves, and then he would release them. And that moment was likely fast approaching, because the ropes connecting Pein to the other ghosts were getting thinner and thinner until they looked like they were about to snap as, inversely, the one connected to Tenten was thickening.

Neji tried to cry out a warning, but only a hoarse whisper, too quiet to carry past his immediate surroundings, came out. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Shikamaru, who were completely focused on the enemy in front of them, were missing the strange convulsions of Tenten, who was fighting but rapidly falling under the spell of whatever magic Pein was weaving over her. She clenched the gun in her hand like a lifeline, and Neji had a feeling it was her last line of defense keeping her from succumbing to the poison of the Akatsuki.

Then, as Neji watched in mounting horror, the gun fell from Tenten's shaking hands, and she went completely rigid, like a corpse. Slowly, her head raised to look, not at the ghost in front of her, but at Sasuke, standing next to her with his gaze averted: a gesture of complete trust. Neji tried again to shout, to warn Sasuke of the danger now amongst their midst, but again, nothing more than a hoarse whisper came out, and an angry frustration born of fear descended over him. Why was he so useless? Why was this simplest of tasks denied him? Why couldn't he just call out?

And then Tenten reached for the fallen gun, and Neji knew, though he didn't know how he knew, that if he allowed her to regain control of it, this battle would be over before it had started. He didn't have time to think; without any sort of plan, Neji got a running start and launched himself at the girl, knocking her to the ground before she could reach the gun.

As soon as Neji touched Tenten, the white aura around her dissipated, the rope of spectral energy connecting her to Pein shattering into a thousand tiny fragments that were reabsorbed into Pein's own thick aura. Within a second, the eyes of all the Akatsuki snapped to Neji, and he swallowed nervously against a dully aching esophagus as he rolled off Tenten, who gave him a wordless look of thanks before taking hold of her gun and standing up next to Sasuke once again. Sasuke gave Neji a strange brief glance before turning back to focus all his concentration on the Akatsuki, but Sasuke wasn't Neji's main concern now. His biggest fear was the four sets of feral eyes staring at him, including the one intelligent gaze that was telling him its owner suspected he knew too much.

With narrowed gaze, Pein dropped the hand he had raised to cut off Tobi, immediately stilling all three other feral ghosts. There was still madness in his face, but now it was tempered with something that wasn't quite fear, but was weaker than confidence.

"Well, well, well," Pein almost sang, his eyes showing the gears clearly turning in his head. "It appears our little mute bird has found another way to contribute. If so, I think our little Mexican standoff here has come to an end. Lads- and Deidara-"

"Fuck you," Deidara almost moaned in anticipation, flames dripping from his hands to sizzle out against the sand like oil against a hot pan.

"-I believe it's time to begin the carnage," Pein continued without missing a beat, then pointed a finger directly at Neji. "Starting with that one."

The icy hand of fear gripped Neji's heart as three sets of mad eyes zeroed in on him, targeting him for the kill. He was caught by those gazes, not able to move, hardly able to even breathe, as they hypnotized him, a single mouse caught by a pack of mountain lions. With a sense of reality separate from himself, he watched as the tethers holding the blood-crazy Akatsuki back snapped, one by one.

 _Oh, shit._

* * *

"Shit!" Tenten screamed as the three bloodthirsty ghosts rushed them all at once, and Sasuke was inclined to agree with her. Stepping smartly in front of Neji, he lifted the gun and fired a single shot at the oncoming ghosts, scattering them but only for a few seconds. He didn't know why Pein had told them to target Neji, but Sasuke wasn't about to let an unarmed comrade take the brunt of an attack, no matter the reason.

Though briefly deterred by the gunshot, the Akatsuki soon reformed and came swarming back. Deidara was the fastest, sending a sweeping blast of fire at the knot of defendants that would be at just the right angle to catch them in the face of it connected. Sasuke saw it coming and hit the deck, dragging Tenten down with him, and buried his face as far down into the sand as he could in anticipation of the heat that would soon sweep over the top of them.

Except it never came.

After a few seconds ticked by with nothing happening, Sasuke chanced to raise his head and glance around. Behind him, Neji had also chosen eating grit over roasting, and Kakashi and the girls had cowered into the sand in preparation for the wave of fire, but none of them had the telltale signs of a scorching. Turning his head to look forward, Sasuke saw something that completely took his breath away.

The wave of fire had been met by a wall of pure shadow, and the shadows were devouring the fire. Shikamaru stood with his back to Sasuke and the others on the ground, one hand extended out in front of him as if to guide the shadows, and even without seeing his face, Sasuke knew by his stance that his eyes would be fierce and his mouth hard.

Deidara, for his part, was utterly stunned that his attack had been defeated, seemingly without any effort. "What have you done to my beautiful flames?" He wailed, reaching out imploringly as if he could grab the remains of the ashes from the air and mourn their passing.

"That's the funny thing about fire," Shikamaru said, and there was an anger and a passion in his voice that Sasuke had never heard before. "The stronger the light shines, the stronger the shadows become."

Deidara gave a scream of rage and launched himself at Shikamaru, flames trailing from his whole body as he ignited himself head to toe. In response, Shikamaru conjured up a wall of wavering shadows, flickering like black flame. The orange and the black collided in a fantastic firework display that shot up over the beach, causing Sakura and Ino to cower away and scream in terror and the rest of the humans on the beach to cover their eyes in an attempt to shield them from the scorching heat. Sasuke had little time to marvel over this surprising, apparently new power of Shikamaru's, however, because Tobi and Hidan, having themselves recovered, split around Deidara's wall of fire and came at them, one on either side. Tenten, whose closest target was Hidan, panicked and fired a blind shot at him, but, by some miracle, it connected, the bullet slamming into his shoulder to send out a spray of blood. Instead of backing off, however, Hidan only grinned more maniacally, stopping only briefly to dig the silver slug out of his flesh with the tip of his blade. Tenten's aim wavered as he held the spent bullet in his hand and then, keeping his gaze locked on hers, deliberately ate it. Horror caused her to take several shaky steps backwards until her back collided with Sasuke's, but he had no attention to spare for her; he had his own opponent to face now, and he didn't dare let his eyes wander.

Tobi swept toward Sasuke, but stopped just shy of crashing into him, pulling up at the last second to diffuse his momentum without wasting too much energy. His deadly whirling toys circled about his head like tiny fairies, almost beautiful if not for the small spots of dried blood that marred their shining surfaces. Sasuke raised the gun to point directly at his head and fired off a shot, but Tobi quickly directed his jacks up to deflect the projectile, and Sasuke mentally cursed. It appeared that he had been right and that particular trick would only work once.

"How many shots do these things have?" he yelled over his shoulder to Tenten, not letting his eyes stray from the form of the advancing ghost.

"S-six," Tenten replied, her voice starting to tremble.

Only six? Sasuke mentally cursed again. That meant he was already half out of shots, and Tenten, even though she'd only used one so far, didn't have many to spare, so the strategy they'd been formerly relying on - shooting almost blindly at targets just to keep them at a distance - wouldn't work for much longer. They needed to come up with another plan, and fast, and Sasuke had the sinking suspicion that there was only one that could even offer them the chance to run down the narrow path to victory.

He would have to use his eyes.

Sasuke had entertained the notion of using the full power and capacity of his eyes on several occasions before, but this was the first time this summer that it had seemed to be the only option left. There was a certain inevitability to even considering it, like he'd known the whole summer that it was coming, and had only barely managed to hide the disgusting feeling of familial duty it caused behind all the small oddities and joys of the summer: in books read until the scant hours of the morning, in the sights and smells of the ocean and the shore and the forest and the town, in the sound of laughter - including his own - in Neji's stupid shirts and Sakura's cooking and Ino's prattle and the phantoms' presence and… Naruto.

That' right. Naruto. He was the real reason they were in this pickle. And yet, Sasuke felt no sense of anger towards him. Perhaps his emotions weren't registering again, or perhaps that was simply what happened when one fell in love.

Though he knew it was foolhardy in the present situation and danger, Sasuke allowed his eyes to drift shut for the briefest of moments. How had it come to this? How had he allowed it? Maybe he was just as useless as the wild accusations of his hallucinated father had suggested, letting the Akatsuki manipulate him, lowering his guard in front of ghosts and strangers alike, allowing his heart to be taken with a phantom who had been dead for the better part of a century. Because that's what he'd done, hadn't he? He'd allowed Naruto to distract him at the time he'd needed his head the most. He supposed he could blame that on love too, but could he really claim to be in love? He'd messed around with Naruto over the summer, nothing more. And yet, Sasuke felt, struggling up from deep within his petrified heart, an urge that he'd never felt before: the urge to protect, not just because he was bound to, but because he wanted to.

In the vague space in between himself and Tobi, Sasuke could hear the whistle of the ghost's mad toys of death slicing through the air toward him, and he knew he didn't have the luxury of hesitation anymore.

"Sharingan!"

Sasuke spit out the word in something between a reverent invocation and a curse, his eyes snapping opening with a sudden force that seemed to push all the air away from him, or perhaps that was the rush of spectral energy that fanned out around him on all sides as he activated the offensive powers of his eyes. It knocked Tobi back a few paces, scattering his death toys that had come almost within inches of Sasuke's face and would have sunk into his flesh if he'd been any slower, and Sasuke felt a momentary bubble of panic - he knew he'd be cutting it close, but not that close - rise in his stomach, but he squashed it down. Now was not the time for panicking. Now was the time for action.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke held one hand out in front of him, palm up, and called up a sizable ball of spectral energy in it. What he was about to do would shatter the few remaining rules of the Uchiha that he hadn't - yet - already broken. But he'd been doing that all summer; what were a few more broken rules when he'd already all but flushed the rulebook down the toilet?

His childlike face distorting into something awful, Tobi snarled and launched himself back at Sasuke, but now the Uchiha was ready for him. Instead of ducking or trying to avoid the whirling balls of death whizzing directly toward him, Sasuke held his ground, teeth gritted to calm down his instinctual urge to move, to either fight or flee, anything but stand there motionless. When the were almost upon him, he thrust his palm forward and the ball of invisible energy in his palm took physical form, splitting into multiple small fragments, each mimicking the shape of the jacks and targeting one of Tobi's weapons. The false jacks collided with the real ones in a spectacular crash of sparks and exploding spectral energy, annihilating both. Tobi, not quite realizing what was going on, tried to slow himself down, but it was too late: he collided with Sasuke, weaponless and suddenly at a disadvantage he hadn't anticipated. Almost as if the fading smile on the Akatsuki's face was sucked out of him and transferred to Sasuke, he felt a mad grin bring his lips back in a snarl almost as feral as the one Tobi had been sporting a scant few minutes ago, and he seized the ghost by his collar, suspending him above the ground. Tobi's eyes widened in surprise as his legs, even though they had been planted only in air, suddenly found the support beneath them gone as Sasuke hauled him close enough that he could feel the spittle of the Uchiha's violent breath as it hissed through his teeth on his cheeks, and for the first time in a long time, Tobi felt the stirrings of something in his breast, something so foreign he almost didn't recognize it. Was it fear?

"Wh-what did you do?" Tobi stuttered, grasping wildly at Sasuke's grip. Tears started to prickle in his eyes as he realized the complete destruction of his jacks, his faithful playthings and the only memories he had left of his time among the living. "What happened to my beautiful toys?"

"They're gone," Sasuke hissed, contempt in his voice and on his face. "And soon, you will be too."

Tobi dared not cry out in fear or pain - he knew well enough what that would get him: an order of annihilation from Pein - but he squirmed, trying to break out of the mad Uchiha's grip. He went incorporeal in attempt to slip free, but to his surprise, those fingers still kept their tight grip on the collar at his throat. Tobi's eyes widened; how was that possible? The Uchiha was only human, despite his superior perception; how could he hold onto something that didn't exist in the plane he resided in? Then Tobi noticed his eyes, and a cold chill went up the back of his neck, despite the heat of Deidara's flame: they were not their normal dark color, but a bright bloodred with three black spokes emanating from the pupil in a triangular pattern and traveling through the red iris until they touched the white of his eyes, and suddenly, Tobi found himself rethinking his earlier statement about the Uchiha's humanity.

His lip curling in disgust, Sasuke threw Tobi down on the sand, and the ghost immediately tensed up, preparing for a blow that never came. Instead of furthering his attack on the Akatsuki, Sasuke turned his back on him, sending a glare up at Pein, who was still floating over the beach as if observing was his only goal. In response to Sasuke's stare, Pein simply smiled a thin smile and let the redness of his own eyes glow out even stronger, like he was answering Sasuke's challenge with a challenge of his own, then flicked his gaze, ever so slightly, at the two Akatsuki still standing, before flicking it back to stare haughtily down at Sasuke. The message was clear: if you want a crack at me, prove it by taking them down first. The notion almost made Sasuke want to gag; a man, fully capable of defending himself, hiding behind his comrades and using them as a sacrifice? What a cowardly way to fight!

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke returned his attention to the fight at hand, and not a moment too soon: while Sasuke had been distracted by Pein, Tobi had seen his moment to take back what control Sasuke had stolen from him and started edging toward the young Uchiha.

Barely giving Tobi a glance, Sasuke leveled the gun at his head. "Come another inch forward and you lose your head, kid. I'm not in the mood to mess around."

Tobi, wisely, stopped his movement and drew in on himself, trying vainly to disappear into the sand. He would not cry - he was a big boy, he reminded himself, and Pein was watching him - but he was more afraid of this boy right now than he had ever been of anything, except perhaps Pein.

Sasuke turned his attention back Tenten and her fight, and not a moment too soon: she was panicking, wavering in her aim as Hidan swung his silver cutlass at her playfully. Letting out a terrified cry, Tenten threw herself backward into the sand to escape that swinging blade and fired a blind shot at Hidan. The bullet, miraculously, connected, slamming directly into Hidan's forehead and propelling him backwards into the sand as well. Sasuke gave a cry of jubilation - she had done it - before cutting himself off when Hidan's previously motionless form started to get back up. The bullet had blown a hole in his head from which blood dripped into his eyes, but otherwise, he was entirely unharmed. He smiled a mad smile when he saw Tenten looking at him with horror in her eyes, then struggled back to his feet and pointed the blade of the cutlass at her.

"I'm back, Bitch!" He crowed, brandishing his blade. "Did you miss me?"

Tenten cried out and struggled backwards through the sand, firing wildly at the ghost's terrifying form and emptying her clip in the span of a few seconds. Of the four shots she had left, the first one missed, but the second one grazed his cheek, tearing it open and showing the teeth and jawbone underneath, and the third and fourth slammed into his chest, forcing him back a few steps but not knocking him back down. Even though there were no bullets left in the clip, Tenten continued to pull the trigger, tears of terror cascading down her cheeks.

"Why won't you just die?" she wailed, the clicking of the empty barrel as good as a death knell to her.

Hidan answered with a terrible smile that showed off his teeth through his ruined cheek. "Because I'm already dead."

He drew the silvery blade back and up, letting it hesitate at the top of its arc probably a little longer than necessary, enjoying the terror he was causing. Neji, who saw what was coming, tried to pull Tenten back out of reach of the blade, but her panicked struggles mixed with her weight and Neji's weakened state made it impossible for him to drag her far. Neither the attacker or his would-be victims paid any attention to Sasuke as he now fully turned his back on Tobi and stepped toward Hidan, a spiritual aura once again gathering in the palm of his hand. Tenten screamed and Neji tried one last time to haul her backwards as the cutlass sliced down through the air with a delicate whoosh, heading straight for them, coming nearer and nearer, on a course right to slice directly through both of their necks-

And then it was turned away by a second silver cutlass that appeared almost out of nowhere, the two blades sliding along each other's length and singing out a piercing high note as they kissed each other delicately, despite the force with which they were wielded. Hidan stumbled back, his balance compromised from the force with which he was repelled, but Sasuke didn't leave him any time to recover, following up with a second blow from his own silver cutlass aimed, not at Hidan's body, but at his sword. At the second impact, both swords shattered, the weak metal bending and malforming under the stress it was never meant to receive.

"Wh-what's happening?" Hidan cried, his eager expression disappearing with the dissolving shattered remains of his mutilated sword. "What have you done to my sword?"

Sasuke didn't reply, but, dropping the gun with three shots left into Tenten's lap as he passed, let momentum take over the job of moving his body and slammed into Hidan, knocking him to the ground. When he grabbed the ghost's collar and slammed his head back into the sand, Sasuke found something new reflected in his face: uncertainty.

"Let's just say I gave you a taste of your own medicine," Sasuke hissed. He shouldn't have said anything - the power of the Uchiha gift lay in its secrecy, a secrecy that had to be protected at all costs - but the urge to brag was overwhelming and he couldn't help it.

To his left, Sasuke heard a garbled cry and looked up to see Shikamaru had gotten the advantage over Deidara's flames and currently strangling him with a rope made of shadow. He looked exhausted but determined, the unnatural pallor of his cheeks and circles of darkness under his eyes playing a supporting role to the strength of his gritted jaw. Looking around, the phantom muttered under his breath something that might have been an irritated, " _Where are they?",_ but Sasuke couldn't quite tell for certain. On Sasuke's other side, there was another cry, and he flicked his gaze over briefly to see that Tobi had made another bid for revenge, only to come up point blank against the barrel of the gun Tenten was pointing in his face. Grimacing slightly, Sasuke pushed himself off of Hidan and stood up, planting one foot directly over one of the bullet wounds Tenten had inflicted, and the ghost gave a small cry of pain. He might have enjoyed the bite of silver, but true pain could still cause him to wince.

An unspoken challenge in his gaze, Sasuke glared up at Pein, daring him to be afraid with his eyes. To his surprise, however, Pein put his hands together in a startlingly loud slow clap, the sounds echoing over the water of the lake like another set of gunshots.

"Bravo, Uchiha!" He chortled over the sound of his slow clapping, his apparent mirth shocking Sasuke and leaving him more than a little unsure. "Congratulations! Your family would be so proud. You managed to bring down all three of my men almost single handedly, and in the process, tell me exactly how to beat you."

A cold breath tickled down Sasuke's back, but he refused to let it show. "What do you mean?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes as he glared at Pein.

Pein simply spread his arms open wide and smiled at Sasuke. "Why, my boy, you've just shown me how you fight! That interesting, endearing little power of yours works by turning a ghost's own powers against them, so-"

Suddenly he was gone, causing an icy stab of panic to shoot through Sasuke's heart and the hairs to prickle at the back of his neck. Whirling around, he found that Pein was directly behind him, his eyes suddenly cold and every trace of even false mirth gone from his face.

"-so all I have to do is defeat you without using any spectral powers. It's time for you to die now, Uchiha."

Quicker than a striking snake, Pein reached for Sasuke's neck, his greedy fingers twitching as if they anticipated the warm flesh they would soon wrap around and sink into. Sasuke threw himself backwards just in time, jumping away from Hidan on the ground and leaning out of Pein's reach just as his fingers closed around the spot his neck had been a mere second before. His upper lip curling in contempt, Pein went after him again, but this time, Sasuke was ready for him. Summoning up the same kind of energy he had used before, Sasuke thrust his hand out in front of him, and Pein abruptly stopped inches away from him again, partly in surprise and partly in pain. Looking down at his chest, he beheld a small metal object embedded in the center of his breastbone that, when he pulled it out, letting a spurt of congealed blood seep from the wound, revealed itself to be a jack. One of Tobi's jacks.

"I don't necessarily turn a ghost's powers against him," Sasuke said to Pein's shocked face, smiling a little in triumph. "I just borrow them for a little while and use them as I wish."

Pein's face showed only surprise for a few seconds, then it split open in a wide smile and he laughed the sound strange in the sudden still of the fight. "So you can!" He chortled, wiping tears of mirth away from his eyes. "In that case, I'm glad I never used my own power; I'd hate for it to be used against my companions."

"Oh, you mean this power?" Sasuke asked innocently, flicking his fingers at Pein. A kind of sterile-smelling white mist, like a cloud of anesthesia, rose up from the ground and settled about the wound on his chest, and when it dissipated a few seconds later, Sasuke saw that it had dissolved the cloth of Pein's shirt and left the skin underneath red and inflamed, as if from an infection. "Poison, huh? So you were a poisoner in life. Well, I'm sorry to inform you that I actually can use that power of yours. I can't copy your style exactly, since I never saw you use it, but I think that might actually be better because that means I can use it however I see fit without your style tainting mine. Isn't that wonderful?"

Now Pein looked visibly nervous. "How did you you…?"

"Now, now," Sasuke admonished with a superior smirk, relishing finally having gained the upper hand. "We Uchiha rely on our covert nature just as much as you Akatsuki do. We can't give away the secrets of our existence, you know."

Pein allowed a wry smile to pull up the corners of his mouth as he recognized the echo of the words he had said to Sasuke a week ago. "So we've come almost full circle, haven't we, Uchiha? There's only one thing left, and that's for you to die."

But Sasuke only smiled wryly, giving his head the slightest hint of a shake. "You know, I think that's at least the third time you've threatened my life now. If you don't start following through with your threats, I'm going to stop believing them."

"Oh, really?" Pein arched a delicate eyebrow at him. "You don't believe you're going to die? You think you're going to live forever? What hubris is this?"

"I… I…" Sasuke stuttered to a stop, suddenly confused. Somehow, Pein had twisted his words around, and his brain was getting foggy trying to make sense of what he had said. Was he going to die? He wasn't going to live forever, so he must… and if he had to, would there ever be a better opportunity than now…?

"Wake up, Sasuke! Now isn't the time to be dreaming!"

Suddenly, something hit Sasuke on the back on the head, knocking him out of the dark thoughts he had been thinking. Looking back, he saw that Shikamaru had cuffed him with some sort of baton, like the ones nightwatch policemen had used in seventeenth century London. In doing so, though, he'd been forced to step away from his prisoner, and Deidara took advantage of the moment to burn away the rope of shadow around his neck and escape Shikamaru's grasp. On either side of Sasuke, Tobi, who was being held in place by the barrel of Tenten's gun, and Hidan, who was being held down by his own ravaged body, struggled to their feet and fled, together with Deidara, to stand behind Pein. They were probably supposed to look like they were protecting and supporting their leader, but it just looked like they were scared, hiding behind the skirts of their mother in the face of the proverbial Big Bad Wolf.

"Sorry," Sasuke apologized to Shikamaru as the phantom came up behind him. "I… I don't know what came over me."

And he still didn't; why was his head so fuzzy? It didn't make any sense. He had been fine just a few minutes earlier. What was going on?

Unexpectedly, a new laugh broke the stillness, one different from Hidan's sadistic chuckle, Tobi's childish giggle, or even Deidara's maniacal laugh. This one was almost normal, full of normal delight and happiness, but when Sasuke saw that it was coming from Pein, its unexemplary sound took on a whole new meaning. Sometimes the worst monsters weren't the ones covered in blood or cackling like a maniac, but the quiet ones, the ones who looked normal enough on the outside but housed a mind not fit for gutter rats to live in. Sasuke flinched at the noise; though his mind told him it was harmless, that it was a sound he himself might make, it made his flesh crawl as if a thousand scaly snakes had decided to slither up his pant legs and across his bare skin. The experience was utterly terrifying, and Sasuke started to itch desperately at his skin, trying to keep the snakes away, only to find that they'd delved underneath his skin, their small wriggling bodies attacking him from the inside. Sasuke wanted to scream, to rip at his skin until he tore it off and could pick the snakes from the bare and bloody sinew and muscle that would cover his bones, but something stopped him just in time. It was the words the Itachi in his mind had spoken to him, back when he'd been under Pein's hallucinogenic spell and trapped in his own dark mindscape: _They can poison the mind with a single carefully crafted sentence and make a man go mad... You can beat their mind game, and once you do that, you can win. I know you can._

Poison… mind game…

All of a sudden, everything clicked. The white mist that was Pein's power wasn't just a poison: it was also a hallucinogenic, and a drug that allowed him to manipulate other's consciousnesses. That was why he'd seen Pein in his hallucination when he'd been chasing his brother's shadow, why, when he'd awoken, he couldn't quite remember what had happened or how he got to be where he was. As if the very knowledge gave him power over Pein's hold on him, the snakes inside his body disappeared, and Sasuke looked up to find Pein staring at him in interest.

"So you figured it out," he mused delicately, stroking his chin in thought. "I'll admit I rather hoped you would. It's not often that I get the pleasure of a foe like you, Uchiha."

"Glad to know I'm not a disappointment to you," Sasuke snapped, trying to cover up sudden weakness with bravado. His head was swimming, his legs jelly, and he didn't know what was causing it. Had Pein somehow gotten some of his poison into Sasuke without him noticing? If so, how?

Unfortunately, Pein was buying none of his bravado, and he just laughed again. "Come now, Uchiha, you don't have to put up that front. I know how you must be feeling by know. You've been choking on my poison since the moment you pointed that gun in my direction, and her too," he said, inclining his head in Tenten's direction, who, Sasuke saw when he glanced at her, was starting to sway on her feet and looked just as hazy as he felt.

"There's no shame in admitting defeat," Pein continued blithely, as if simply commenting on the weather. "While I can't promise to keep you alive after all the trouble you've caused me, I can promise that we will kill you quickly, out of respect for your skills. After all, we are very good at what we do."

He chortled at his own joke, and the three other ghosts behind him laughed as well. Sasuke gritted his teeth against the headache that was starting to pound through his temples and reached inside himself to find the last pieces of strength he had left. Next to him, Tenten finally gave in and fell to the ground in a dead faint, but Neji immediately swooped in and picked up the gun she had been holding and moved in to stand next to Sasuke. He was holding the gun wrong and looking it slightly nervously, as if he were a little more scared of it than the ghosts he was planning on shooting, but Sasuke found that understandable; it was probably the first time he'd held a gun, let alone thought about shooting one. Now all that was left would be for the third part of their trifecta, Shikamaru, to come take his place, and they would start over again from the beginning again, one side trying to wear down the other, for while Sasuke had managed to disarm both Tobi and Hidan of their main weapons, in the grand scheme of things, that wasn't really that big of an accomplishment.

Glancing around, Sasuke looked for Shikamaru, only to discover that he couldn't find the phantom anywhere. Trying not to give away his sudden shock and fear, he glanced around one more time just to make sure, but he was right: Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen. Anger overtook Sasuke, and he gritted his teeth to keep himself from doing something he would regret.

Damn that phantom! Had he abandoned them? Granted, this wasn't his battle per se, but it affected both his friends and his home! Could he give up and leave so easily, when they'd only just begun to have the upper hand?

Though he was trying to surreptitious, Pein noticed Sasuke's glances and laughed even harder at him. "Ah, yes, you're wondering where your _friend_ went," he said, laying a heavy emphasis on the word that made Sasuke see red for a moment, and not just because of the wound above his eye. "Well, I can answer that question: he vanished a few minutes ago; sunk down into one of those dreadful shadows of his and disappeared. Terrible, isn't it? And here I thought he had better character than that."

Sasuke felt Neji stiffen at his side at the accusation, but he had no energy left to spare for the Hyuuga: all his reserves were going directly into the effort of keeping him on his feet and stationary. Strangely, whatever poison Pein had fed into his bloodstream seemed to be making him more volatile rather than sedentary, and it was taking all his concentration not to let his anger get the better of him. Forcing his gritted jaw open, Sasuke took a calming breath before reaching forward into the air and drawing a silver cutlass from an atmospheric sheath.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Pein asked, his tone still terribly uncaring. "The last time you were under my influence, you attacked the poor Hyuuga next to you! I don't think I need to tell you what would happen if you lost control like that again, and with a weapon like that one! Not to mention that the one who pulled you apart the first time is conveniently not here anymore."

He was right; he didn't have to tell Sasuke what would happen if he lost control again. He already knew. If he succumbed to Pein's poison and started hallucinating again and attacked Neji, he would kill him. That's all there was to it. Glancing to the side, Sasuke saw Neji also shooting him a short fleeting look, and the half second it took for their gazes to collide was all it took for Sasuke to understand what Neji wanted. Konoha may not be their home and the ghosts living within it might not all be their friends, but this was personal now. Not only were their lives at stake, but their pride as well.

Sasuke raised the cutlass before him and got ready to strike.

"You're seriously going to keep resisting?" Pein asked incredulously. "After everything that's happened? When half your fighting force is gone? When you know you have no hope?"

"No hope?" Sasuke asked with a grim smile, tightening his fingers around the hilt of the sword. "As long as we're still alive, there's hope. We will defeat you!"

"Oh, you will, will you?" Pein asked, a red anger starting to flash in his eyes. "You and what army?"

From high in the air, a familiar voice rang out. "Actually, this army."


	33. A Long Anticipated Surprise

Is it finally done? Is it? I think it is! This fight is finally over! (But not the story yet; no, we've got a ways still to go.)

Thanks to SpecialLittleSnowflake for your awesome review!

* * *

Sasuke raised the cutlass before him and got ready to strike.

"You're seriously going to keep resisting?" Pein asked incredulously. "After everything that's happened? When half your fighting force is gone? When you know you have no hope?"

"No hope?" Sasuke asked with a grim smile, tightening his fingers around the hilt of the sword. "As long as we're still alive, there's hope. We will defeat you!"

"Oh, you will, will you?" Pein asked, a red anger starting to flash in his eyes. "You and what army?"

From high in the air, a familiar voice rang out. "Actually, this army."

Pein had to turn around in order to see what Sasuke could see just by raising his eyes: a sky full of ghosts, with Shikamaru, Kiba and Shino at their head. He was unable to help himself; his mouth fell open in shock as he saw the massive scope of the spectral army - for an army it indeed was - spread out before them. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of ghosts, from specters all the way to draugrs. Scanning the crowd, Sasuke spotted a few familiar faces - Gaara, the sand draugr, hanging off Lee's arm, the doctor Tsunade, the specter of a fisherman that Sasuke recognized as the one always sitting on the sidewalk, a young girl he recognized as the oldest ghost in the village - amongst the masses of ghosts he either hadn't met or had only seen in passing. It looked like the entire spectral population of Konoha had come out to gather in force and protect their home.

Then the combined energy of all the ghosts hit him at once, and Sasuke doubled over as if someone had sucker punched him in the gut, almost losing his footing and falling down into the sand. Normally this wouldn't happen to him if he were around a large population of ghosts, even as large a population as this one, but since he had activated his Sharingan eyes, the amount of spectral energy in the air was dangerous to him now.

The Sharingan powers of the Uchiha worked by copying and briefly stealing the powers of all the ghosts within a certain radius of the user, allowing them to fight offensively against strong ghosts without having to use a physical weapon, though they often used those as well. It was often a last resort, however, because the user could never be sure exactly how much energy or what kind of power he was going to receive. Most ghosts who would pick a fight usually had telekinesis and manipulation as their only defensive powers, but sometimes they would utilize these in new ways to make it seem like they had an individualized power, like Tobi's telekinesis movement of his jacks or Hidan's manipulation of his silver sword. The few exceptions to this rule were ghosts who had had a unique power in life that they had retained in death, like Deidara's fire. When fighting, the Sharingan worked best against one or a very small group, usually no more than five, for two reasons: one, because it was easier to turn each individual ghost's power against them in those odds, and two, because that was about how much spectral energy a live human body could hold before it started to fight back, as Sasuke's body was doing now.

Sasuke fell to one knee, the silver cutlass slipping out of his grip and disintegrating before it hit the sand, as a fresh wave of pain tore through his abdomen. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself back off the ground and into a standing position. Well, it appeared that the amount of raw power coursing through his system had completely blown away the effects of Pein's poison, so Sasuke guessed there was a silver lining in everything. He startled at the feeling of a hand at his elbow, only to relax when he saw that it was just Neji. The Hyuuga was looking at him in concern, but Sasuke brushed off both the concern and the pain, straightening up completely and surveying the scene in front of him.

As Sasuke saw it, he had two options now: he could deactivate his Sharingan, stopping the crippling flow of energy into his body but also leaving him devoid of any defense, or he could do something crazy and far more dangerous. Looking up at Pein, Sasuke saw that, while he did look considerably less sure of himself now, he didn't look like he was going to back down any time soon.

Crazy it was, then.

Turning to Neji, Sasuke said, "Catch me."

Those two words were all it took for Neji to understand what Sasuke was going to do, but even as his mouth opened to silently try and talk him out of it, Sasuke had already closed his eyes and activated the second level of his Sharingan, and he promptly fainted dead away into Neji's waiting arms.

Or at least his physical body did.

Dropping the gun in his haste to catch Sasuke's lifeless body collapsing into his arms, Neji gave the incorporeal Sasuke standing in front of him a glare that said he was very, very angry at him before lowering Sasuke's physical body onto the sand to lay next to Tenten's. But Sasuke didn't care; he felt amazing! The pain that had plagued his physical body was gone, as well as the limitations it placed on his eyes. The energy siphoned from a thousand ghosts roared through him like a typhoon, making him feel like he could take on the world.

In the back of his mind, Sasuke knew that this was dangerous, that he shouldn't be feeling this strange volatility, but he couldn't bring himself to care. For the first time, he had no fear of losing, and that relief made his head swim deliciously.

 _We can do this!_ Sasuke thought to himself, conjuring up another silver cutlass, this one shining almost too brightly to look at from the spectral energy thrumming through its length. His head held high, he raised the sword in preparation to strike.

Only to be stopped by a soft sound behind him, one that sounded suspiciously like a sniffle.

Sasuke whirled around to look behind him, completely floored by what he saw. Naruto was backing away from him, tears spilling freely from his eyes. A sob shook his small frame, which was aging backwards into the form of a small child, the form Sasuke had first met him in. Immediately, a sense of guilt washed over Sasuke; how long had Naruto been standing like that, crying his eyes out while Sasuke hadn't even been paying attention to him?

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked in quiet concern, dropping the sword to his side. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Naruto sobbed, taking another step back from Sasuke. "Everything, that's what's wrong! This is wrong, it's not right, I know it! No one should have to fight for me! No one should have to get hurt because… because I have some stupid fucking curse! It's not right!"

"Naruto…" Sasuke took a step towards the phantom, but Naruto curled in on himself and thrust out a hand to stay him.

"No! Don't come any closer! I... I'm a monster! You shouldn't have to protect me!"

"Naruto!" Sasuke closed the distance between himself and the phantom and shook him, not even realizing that he'd dropped his sword along the way. "None of us is doing anything we don't want to do!"

Shikamaru had a less eloquent way of putting it.

"Wake up, Naruto!" He snapped. "This isn't just about you, or me, or even Sasuke anymore! This is about protecting our home!"

Naruto started trembling like a leaf in Sasuke's grasp. "But… but…"

His words were cut off as Sasuke pulled him in close, hugging him tightly to his chest. Perhaps it was just because of his now ghostly state, but Sasuke thought Naruto felt a little cooler to the touch, a little more like a body and a little less like a furnace. Slowly, the sobs wracking Naruto's body weakened and grew less frequent until he lay quietly with his head on Sasuke's chest.

"I hate to break up this pity party, but-" Pein started, but cut himself off when a rock the size of a person's fist went sailing through his head. "The hell?"

Sasuke spun around, releasing Naruto instinctively, to see Sakura standing up, her arm lifted as if she'd just thrown something with all her might. He couldn't help it; he gasped reflexively, stunned that Sakura could gather up the courage to even attempt something like that. He wouldn't have, but then again, he also knew that a move like that wouldn't have any real affect on a ghost, only piss them off. As Pein appeared to be getting pissed off.

"Foolish girl!" He hissed, his eyes once again blinking red. "You'll pay for that with your life!"

"Oh, yeah?" Sakura taunted, clearly terrified but standing her ground, reaching down to find another rock. "You and what army?"

"Why, you insolent-" Pein cut off, choking on his own rage. He raised a hand to blast power at Sakura, and Sasuke immediately sprung into action, running forward to intercept the blow even though he knew there was no way he'd make it in time.

Except he did make it in time, for when he skidded to a stop, his arms raised and ready to ward off a blow, directly in the line of fire between Sakura and Pein, he found himself without a blow to ward off. Cautiously, he peeked over the top of his raised hands to see Pein frozen in the middle of his movement, a calculating look on his face. What was going on?

"You! Girl!" Pein commanded, pointing a long index finger at Sakura. "You can see us?"

"Of course I can fucking see you!" Sakura cried. "I chucked a rock at your damn head, didn't I?"

An intrigued gleam crept into Pein's eye. "And the others?" He gestured to the swarm of ghosts practically blocking out the sun. "You can see them as well?"

"Well, it's kinda hard to miss 'em, in't?"

"Hmm. Interesting… And when did this start?"

Sakura tensed up. "Why does it matter?"

"Just answer the question!" Pein snapped, a sudden fury radiating from his features so strong, it made Sakura take a step back in fear.

"A-about the time Naruto started glowing…"

Pein's face turned introspective for a moment, then his head snapped up and his gaze narrowed into an abrupt focus. "Alright, lads - and Deidara-"

"Fuck you."

"We're leaving."

"What?!" Sasuke stared, his mouth gaping open, at Pein's form as the ghost turned to leave. "You… You can't just leave!"

"And why not?" Pein asked coldly, his icy gaze raking over Sasuke like the burn of frostbite.

Sasuke was so flabbergasted that he couldn't even come up with a coherent thought, let alone a reason. "Because… Because…"

Shikamaru took over for him so he didn't have to. "Because we're not done with you, that's why!"

"Oh, really?" Pein turned his cold gaze on the phantom. "But we are done with you."

"But why?" Naruto cried. "A few minutes ago you were all set to rip all of us to pieces, and now you're going to leave just like that?"

"Yes," Pein stated simply. "I have reevaluated our standing and come to the conclusion that, with your added numbers, the chances of our success have become exponentially lower. Oh, we would end a great many of you - that much I have to doubt about - but at what cost? It is far too steep a price to pay for an object we no longer require."

Sasuke was dumbfounded. "No longer require? I thought you needed Naruto- I mean, the Kyuubi?"

"No, you idiot boy, we do not _need_ anything," Deidara sneered. "We _want_ to become human again."

"Precisely," Pein interrupted, shooting Deidara a warning look that had the ghost scrambling back away from him. "And I thought the Kyuubi could give us that, but I now realize I was mistaken."

"Why? Not that I'm complaining, of course."

"Because," Pein hissed from between clenched teeth, "We thought the Kyuubi could bring us back to life, but now that we've witnessed his powers, it has become clear to me that he only brings about the illusion of life, not life itself. Therefore, we have no use for him."

"But how can you know for certain?" Sasuke found himself arguing, even as his mind screamed at him not to confront the crazy psychopathic ghosts and just let them leave.

"I don't," Pein said simply, surprising everyone. "But now that our chances of success have dwindled dramatically, it's no longer a risk I'm willing to take. And so, we take our leave."

"Wait!"

This time it was Naruto's voice that stopped the Akatsuki, and Pein turned around again with a sigh. "What is it now, little ghost?"

Naruto visibly bristled at the insult, but shook it off to shout, "Then… You won't come back? We'll never see you again?"

"Yes, little ghost, we are leaving for good," Pein sneered, looking down on Naruto like he was an insect. "You'll never have to worry about us sullying your precious home again. After all…" Pein let his gaze roll over Naruto to land on Sasuke, who felt its chill pierce him to the bone when the Akatsuki smiled a cruel smile. "I have a new goal now."

Sasuke couldn't help but shudder when he thought of the ramification of that.

"And so," Pein said, drawing himself up higher in the air, "The time has come for us to leave you. I won't be forgetting you… Not for longer than your lifetime, at least."

Sasuke opened his mouth to - he wasn't really sure what, maybe call out, maybe try and stop the ghosts from leaving - but before he could, Pein whipped an acrid white mist around himself that made even Sasuke's ghostly eyes water, and when it dissipated, the four remaining Akatsuki were nowhere to be seen.

"Fuck!" Sasuke raced to where the Akatsuki had been a scant second before, as if he could grab the trailing remains of their auras and hold them in place.

Above his head, the ghosts of Konoha started to murmur amongst themselves and break rank. Even though there were many of them, most of them were only specters, and their mental functions, now devoid of a singular purpose, would soon start to shatter. He couldn't deny that they had helped in the fight, but it was never an option he would have taken because of exactly what was happening right now. In not too long, these ghosts, misplaced and confused, would be the dangerous ones.

"Shikamaru, get these ghosts out of here!" He called to the phantom, who nodded, his expression tight, then pointed behind Sasuke.

"I will, but you've got your own problem to look after."

Sasuke followed the direction Shikamaru's finger was pointing in to see Naruto swaying on his feet. Springing into action, he flew to the phantom's side just in time to catch his collapsing form in his arms. Like the sun going behind a cloud, the golden light that had been surrounding Naruto vanished, leaving him looking much younger and smaller than he had been. How old was his form now? Eight years? Ten?

Sweeping one arm under Naruto's legs, Sasuke picked the phantom up in a bridal carry and cradled him against his chest. He looked from the ghost in his arms to his body lying in the sand, and felt a twinge in his gut. He really should return to his body; it wasn't good for him to stay out of it for too long. Of course, he was quite aways from the dangerous limit, but it still wasn't a good idea to push that boundary too much.

"Neji, could you…?" Sasuke asked, inclining his chin towards Naruto.

Neji nodded, standing and dusting sand off his knees before holding his arms out to receive Naruto's insubstantial body, but when Sasuke tried to hand it to him, his hands when right through the ghost.

 _Damn, Naruto must not have enough energy left to even stay corporeal!_ Sasuke realized with a sinking sensation in his stomach. _That means, right now, I'm the only one who can interact with him besides another ghost._ He looked around for Shikamaru or one of the other phantoms, but they'd already cleared off, pushing the mass of specters and other ghosts before him. _Guess that leaves me, then._

Straightening up, Sasuke said, "I'll bring him back to the Hokage. Meet me in my room with my body as soon as you're able."

His eyes narrowing slightly in annoyance at the order, Neji nodded, then reached down, pulled Tenten up by her hair, and slapped her once, hard, in the face. She screeched into consciousness like a car slamming on its brakes to avoid impact with another car, abruptly and with a horrible shrill sound like the squeal of tires. Sasuke turned his back on the scene and started floating away, in the direction of the Hokage. He trusted Neji to handle what was coming. He had his own job to do.


	34. Aftermath of Emotions

And finally things are settling down. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

* * *

When Sasuke arrived back at the Hokage with the unconsciousness Naruto in his arms, he didn't bother taking the stairs, instead floating directly up through the ceiling, down the hallway, and through the door to his room without flinching as he passed through the solid obstacles. In some ways, being a ghost really was very cool, but then again, very not cool at the same, something Sasuke was reminded of when someone walking down the hallway passed through him without ever knowing he had been there.

Inside his room, Sasuke sat down in the air above his bed and gently laid Naruto down. His body hovered several inches over the surface of the comforter, curling up onto itself like a small cat in need of a warm ray of sun. Unthinkingly, Sasuke stretched his hand out to brush a piece of hair away from his brow, and Naruto stirred at the motion. Sasuke froze; he had assumed that Naruto would be out for some time yet, but apparently whatever unconscious stupor he had been in was turning into more of a conscious one.

"Sasuke? Is that you?"

Trailing his hand gently through Naruto's golden hair, Sasuke smiled softly and whispered, "Yeah, it's me."

Immediately, Naruto stiffened, pulling away and hiding his head under the crook of his arms, surprising Sasuke.

"Naruto?" He reached for Naruto's head again, only to have him shy away one more time. "What's wrong?"

Naruto's voice was muffled by his arms, and to Sasuke's surprise, it sounded like he was crying."I screwed everything up, me and my stupid curse! It was my fault those awful ghosts came here, and when everyone else was fighting, when everyone else was protecting me..." His voice broke off in a sharp gasp sob, then came back, stronger than before. "I couldn't do anything! I was useless, I was terrified, I was a coward! Everyone was striving as hard as they could, and all I could do was stand there and watch them do it!"

"Naruto!" Sasuke grabbed the phantom by his shoulders and shook him, forcing his face up so he could see his eyes. "This wasn't your fault! You don't have to feel responsible!"

"Don't I? They were here because of _me_! They wanted _me_! How can you say that's not my fault?" There were tears in Naruto's eyes.

Sasuke drew Naruto in close to him despite his struggles. "Because, as you said, _they_ wanted _you_ \- you had nothing to do with it. They would have at least passed through here on their search anyway, I'm sure of it. So don't beat yourself up about it too much, 'kay?"

Naruto let out a dainty sniffle. "But if it hadn't been for this stupid Kyuubi thing-"

"You wouldn't even be around any more," Sasuke interrupted. "Don't think about things so much. If you try hard enough, you could convince yourself the sun setting every day was your own fault. Just let the things that happened stay in the past where they belong, and you'll feel much better."

"You say that like you speak from experience," Naruto sniffed.

Sasuke cast his eyes heavenward for a few seconds, looking up at the ceiling that blocked the sky from his searching gaze. "I do."

Silence descended upon them for a moment as Sasuke glanced at the clock, a sense of unease growing in the pit of his stomach. They'd already been waiting for Neji a full ten minutes; how much longer was he going to take? Sure, he had to haul Sasuke's lifeless body along with him - _and Kabuto's, if he didn't wake up, and Kakashi had been injured and lost a lot of blood,_ Sasuke's mind reminded him - but the beach wasn't that far away from the Hokage. Where was he?

As if he was reading Sasuke's mind, Naruto asked softly, "When are the others going to be here?"

"I don't know," Sasuke said, the words expelled on a sigh. "Soon, maybe, but… I don't know."

Naruto gave a slight nod as if considering this information, drawing himself up with a look of determination on his face. "Then… Sasuke, will you have sex with me?"

For a few seconds, Sasuke was so shocked that he couldn't speak, then his brain broke itself from the whiteout it was experiencing and went into overdrive. "Wha-what?! No! Why would you just ask that all of a sudden?"

Was that disappointment on Naruto's face? "Then you don't want to?"

"That's not what I-! Nevermind. Listen, Naruto, there's a time and place for everything, and now is not the time for this! You're weak, running low on energy; you should try to relax-!"

Naruto cut him off quite efficiently with his mouth, kissing him roughly. Sasuke felt himself being pushed backwards until his head was resting on the pillows, and he pushed back, separating their mouths for a brief moment, barely long enough to gasp in a breath and out a few words before Naruto garnered his silence once again.

"Naruto, stop. I don't want you to do anything you'll regret-!"

Naruto pressed forward for a few seconds before pulling back again. "I won't. I asked you, remember?"

"But you're weak, you shouldn't be corporeal-"

"I won't have to be," Naruto interrupted, placing a finger over Sasuke's mouth. "You, for all intents and purposes, are a ghost now too, right?"

"Naruto!" Sasuke finally got enough leverage to place a hand on Naruto's chest, pushing him away and sitting back up straight. "I know what you're trying to do: you feel like you were useless in the fight and you're trying to validate your existence with something else; in this case, me. I appreciate the sentiment, Naruto, but it's not healthy. My answer is no."

Naruto's face crumpled at Sasuke's words, and a guilty pang with through the Uchiha. He hated to see that heartbroken expression on Naruto's face, and if he really admitted it to himself, his heart had leapt a little at Naruto's invitation, despite his immediate outward rejection, but he pushed those feelings aside and hardened his heart. Right now, Naruto needed him, and he needed him in a different capacity than the one he was asking of him.

As Naruto turned his face to the side to hide his fresh round of tears, Sasuke reached over and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. This time, Naruto didn't even stiffen at the initial contact, just collapsed slightly, his shoulders sagging pathetically. Gently, Sasuke reached out and pulled Naruto close to his chest, tucking his chin on top of the blond ghost's head.

"I know everything seems terrible now, but I promise it'll all look better in the morning, when you're not as tired and stressed as you are now. Everything brightens up in the morning sun, you'll see. Alright?" To augment his words, Sasuke pressed his mouth against Naruto's forehead, his lips curling up into a smile.

Sasuke felt Naruto's cheek, which was pressed against the bare skin of his neck, twitch as he smiled weakly in response. "Alright."

"Good." Sasuke pulled back and patted Naruto on the head, who gave him a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that," he murmured, embarrassment flushing his cheeks. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's fine," Sasuke assured him, his hand moving down from Naruto's head to rub soothing circles on his back. "It's not your fault. I understand. Just get some rest, Naruto, and you'll feel better in the morning. Trust me on this one."

Looking down in embarrassment and refusing to meet Sasuke's gaze, Naruto asked in a whisper, "Will… what I asked make things awkward between us?"

"That's up to you," Sasuke said with a soft smile. "You can decide what happens tomorrow morning."

Naruto looked up again, his eyes large and trusting of Sasuke. "Really?"

"Of course." Sasuke felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach, but he didn't let it show through his gentle smile. Naruto might be able to act the same, but there was no guarantee Sasuke himself would be able to.

His words had the desired effect, however, and Naruto relaxed, curling up into a ball and passing out almost immediately. Shaking his head, Sasuke pulled the sheet over his still form, only to have it fall through his incorporeal body back to the bed. With a sigh, he sat back, looking at the ceiling and wishing he could see the sky, and waited for Neji to bring him his body.

When Neji finally got to the Hokage and succeeded in dragging Sasuke's deadweight body up the stairs, Sasuke was still sitting on the bed next to Naruto, brushing the hair on his brow back, only to have it be taken over by gravity and flop down into his eyes again in an endless cycle. A knock at the door heralded Neji's arrival, and for a few seconds, Sasuke stared at the door as if he could open it with his mind before getting up with a sigh and opening it. Though his eyes were still activated and he would have had the power not long before, he could only borrow the powers of ghosts within a certain radius of himself and the only ghost inside that radius was currently dead to the world.

When Sasuke opened the door, it was to find Sakura assisting Neji in holding his body upright. They quickly hauled the lifeless body into the room and Neji slammed the door shut behind him, obviously not wanting anyone to see them dragging the equivalent of a corpse into a bedroom. Sakura tried to set him down gently on the floor, but Neji, clearly still a little pissed at Sasuke, let go abruptly, letting him drop to the floor with a resounding thud. Sasuke winced; that would hurt when he had nerve endings again.

Sasuke noticed that Sakura was scanning the room, a small frown on her face. "Maybe he's not here?" She suggested dubiously, her eyes flicking right over Sasuke without reacting.

Right; Sakura couldn't see him because Naruto wasn't casting the influence he had been earlier that made the ghosts visible. Shaking off the eerie feeling that gave him, Sasuke leaned down and let his body reabsorb his spirit.

When he stood up, Sakura nearly jumped a foot into the air, swearing an impressive string of expletives. Grabbing the bedpost for support, she gasped and laid a hand over her heart, probably to check whether or not it had beat itself out of her chest.

"Jesus Christ, Sasuke, don't _do_ that to me! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," Sasuke apologized sheepishly, then stretched his back, feeling it crack. Damn that Hyuuga. "How's everyone else?"

"Other than some slight shock, everyone's fine," Sakura answered, then jerked a thumb at the door. "Tenten's father is a local doctor, and he's looking over everyone's wounds since his daughter is among the injured. Kakashi wouldn't want word of this to get out any more than you, so you can trust his silence. Come down and get that thing on your forehead disinfected, at least?"

"I… I really shouldn't…" Sasuke stammered, taking a step back from the door, only to gulp when Sakura sent him a glare that would probably have sent even Pein running if it had been turned on him.

"Allow me to rephrase," she articulated very carefully, stabbing her finger in his direction. "That wasn't a question; it was an order. You are going to come downstairs, get that wound cleaned up and dressed, and explain exactly what just happened in very explicit detail to everyone there. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sasuke answered meekly, and Neji let out a snort, refusing to hide his amusement even when Sasuke sent him the fiercest glare he could.

With an inner sigh, Sasuke headed towards the door after Sakura and Neji, mentally preparing himself for the grilling that was to come. At the door, he glanced one last time back at the still unconscious Naruto before exiting the room and following the others down to the kitchen.

* * *

As soon as Shikamaru had started herding those stupid, inane, vapid, _useless_ ghosts back to their haunting grounds, he had immediately regretted his decision to get them involved. Sure, they had helped - kind of - but now he was stuck playing babysitter to a bunch of confused specters, some of them so lost without the comfort and conformity of their usual surroundings that they couldn't even remember their own names. It sickened him. And that terrified him.

Grinding his teeth together, Shikamaru apprehended a confused little boy, grabbing him by the arm and shaking him. "Where the hell do ya wanna end up?"

The boy took one look at Shikamaru's angry face and burst into tears, and that just made him feel worse. Luckily, Shino had seen the incident and quickly hurried over, separating Shikamaru from the boy.

"Hey, it's alright," he said softly, kneeling down to wipe tears from the boy's eyes. "You look lost. Can I help you get somewhere?"

"I- I just wanna go to the park!" The little boy wailed, fresh tears cascading down his face. "Mommy said I could go to the park today! Where's Mommy?"

Shikamaru cringed. If there was one thing he dealt with worse than crying children, it was crying children who wanted their parents.

Shino, however, took it in stride, taking hold of the boy's hand. "Well, I think I can get you to the park, and maybe when we get there, we'll find your Mommy. How does that sound?"

The little boy looked up at him with shining eyes. "You… you would do that? You would take me to the park?"

"Of course! I'll take you right now." Shino smiled down at the little boy and stood up, then fixed Shikamaru with a stern look. "Kiba and I have this, Shikamaru. Go get some rest."

"I'm fine-" Shikamaru started to say, but Shino interrupted him.

"No, you're not. I know how tired you are. Now go relax before you pass out, okay?"

Well, he was right; Shikamaru was exhausted. "Fine," he sighed, surprised at how relieved he was now that the decision had been made for him.

"Good. Now go!" Shino commanded, then smiled down at the little boy and picked him up. "Alright, let's go to the park!"

"Yay!" He squealed, clapping his hands together as Shino walked off, leaving Shikamaru alone.

Alone.

Sometimes, he hated that word.

Shikamaru tilted his head back to look up at the sky. It was late in the evening, maybe seven or seven thirty, but it didn't get dark until a little later than that in the summer here so there was still plenty of light from the setting sun for him to analyze the clouds. It would probably rain that night.

WIth a sigh, Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets and turned in the direction of the Hokage. There was someone he was hoping to ambush tonight, and a game of chess lying unfinished on the floor of his room.

Shikamaru felt a small smile steal across his face. He was looking forward to tonight.

* * *

"...And that's everything that happened."

The kitchen fell so violently silent after Sasuke finished his speech that he wondered if the absence of sound itself might choke him. Even Choji and Iruka showed up too, wanting to know what happened, and the added people had made it even harder to talk. It had taken him almost three hours to tell the story, starting from the beginning so Tenten's father would understand what was going on and why his daughter had been involved and going over every part so even those who he'd told things to before could get the full story. Tenten and Neji, after Sakura had plunked a mug of honied tea in front of him that had miraculously revived his voice from a hoarse croak to a slightly less hoarse timbre, had corroborated his story, adding in bits he hadn't been present for and generally backing him up. The only thing they'd been unable to explain was Shikamaru's sudden shadow manipulation ability, since neither he nor Tenten knew anything about it and though Sasuke suspected Neji did know, the Hyuuga had refused to say anything on the subject. And even though they all - minus Tenten's father, who knew about Tenten's ability already and thus wasn't phased by Sasuke's admission of his own gift or anything else they'd told him - had witnessed at least part of the fiasco he was explaining, Sasuke wasn't sure if everyone in the room really believed him.

Kakashi broke the silence with a yawn and a stretch, and then a wince as he pulled at the newly done stitches in his arm. "Well, that was some tale, Sasuke. I think we all need some time to digest it, don't you? It's well after nine now; come on, everyone home. I need you to be able to work tomorrow."

"Good idea," Tenten's father interjected. "I know not all of you are injured, but you need to give your minds time to heal as well as your bodies. Doctor's orders."

Still mostly silent, the crowd filed out of the kitchen, leaving Sasuke alone with Neji, Sakura, and Kakashi.

"That includes you, Sakura," Kakashi warned, but Sakura just waved a hand at him.

"I'll leave in a minute; I'm just getting another cup of tea for Neji."

"Thank you," Neji whispered fervently, touching his throat gently. "The first one did wonders."

"See? There you are!" Sakura announced with the air of someone making a point. "I'll just be a minute."

"Alright. Just be quick," Kakashi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Sakura immediately darted into a side pantry and returned almost within seconds with another cup of tea, then darted to the door. "Bye, everyone!" She called with just her head stuck around the doorframe and her hand raised in a wave, then she disappeared and all they heard was the sound of her footsteps as she left the building.

"I better go too-" Neji started to say, but was interrupted by a pleasant _ting!_ from his phone. With a frown, he mooked at the new message displayed there, and his face suddenly blanched.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, craning his neck to try and see the screen, but Neji typed a quick reply and locked the phone before he could read anything.

"It's nothing," he said, though his expression said it wasn't. "Goodnight, Sasuke, Kakashi."

Sasuke wondered if there was significance in the fact that he didn't say _see you in the morning._

Slipping his phone into his pocket, Neji turned and left the kitchen. Shaking his head at the Hyuuga's strange behavior, Sasuke turned to follow him, only to be stopped by Kakashi's hand on his shoulder.

"Kakashi? What is it?"

The old man cleared his throat in something that might have been embarrassment. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you did to help us. I had no idea about all the things you were doing behind the scenes, and I hope you can forgive this old man for his untruthfulness in bringing you here."

Touched, Sasuke laid his hand on Kakashi's arm. "Of course I forgive you; you were only doing what you thought you had to do in order to protect yourself. Don't worry about it. Things like this are, after all, the job of an Uchiha."

"Yes, I suppose," Kakashi allowed with a smile. "But we of this town are in your debt, Sasuke. If there's anything I can ever help you with, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask. Those of us at the Hokage will always be your friends. Remember that."

"I will." Sasuke gifted Kakashi with a rare smile. "And now I should probably get some sleep, and so should you. See you in the morning?"

Kakashi's smile broke into a kind laugh. "Of course. See you in the morning, Sasuke."

His limbs suddenly tired with a fatigue he hadn't noticed before, Sasuke left the kitchen and scaled the stairs to his room, noticing as he did that the door to Hinata's room was open a crack. Deciding it wasn't his place to meddle, he left her be and went into his own room.

Naruto was still asleep on the bed where Sasuke had left him, curled up into a little ball. When Sasuke sat down on the edge of the bed next to him, he uncurled slightly, as if Sasuke's very nearness had relaxed his body. Swallowing uncomfortably, Sasuke brushed the hair away from Naruto's forehead, almost surprised when his fingers succeeded in moving the spectral fringe. Naruto must have recovered a significant amount already.

Sighing, Sasuke laid down on the bed next to Naruto and pulled the covers over himself. He didn't know what he should do with the ghost. It would kill him when he left Konoha.


	35. el Diablo

Just in case you forgot there were other characters in this story...

* * *

Itachi sat at his little wooden table in his little padded cell, drumming his fingers against the wood tabletop and listening to the tic of his clock as time passed, all the while studiously ignoring the new wooden puzzle that had been placed on the table in the middle of the night, when he had been asleep. The clock was a special one, custom made upon his request for an auditory timepiece, and chimed a different tune for every fifteen minute marker, a quiet ting for every minute and a louder one for every fifth minute, and chimed the number of the hour on the hour. Usually, Itachi was very fond of the clock and usually thought of it with much reverence, for, as demonstrated by many stories of people stranded alone in the wilderness, keeping track of passing time was often the best way of keeping oneself sane, but today he found himself hating it for the message it was telling him: Kisame was late.

Kisame was never late, not even after the day Itachi had told him he could see ghosts, back when he could see. Itachi bit his lip, nervousness causing the tempo of his drumming to ratchet up a notch. Why was Kisame late? As the seconds ticked by into minutes and the minutes into a half an hour, Itachi started to get worried. His father hadn't fired him, had he? Itachi knew he'd put Kisame in a tough position the day before when he'd demanded he stay in the room with Itachi when his father had asked him to leave, but that was a matter of patient security; he had to understand that. There was no way he'd fire Kisame over doing his job. Right?

Itachi's finger-drumming kicked up another notch as another explanation occurred to him. The cameras were supposed to go off in his room when someone was in with him for longer than a few minutes, but that wasn't always the case; accidents and mistakes, or purposeful observation that could be claimed an accident or mistake, were always possible, so it was always a possibility that someone could have a camera on at any given moment, even if Kisame was in the room with him. And many of the things Kisame had done while in the room with Itachi were definitely against the medical code and could get him fired. The extended, full-body physical contact, the occasional little gifts he managed to sneak in for Itachi, the secrets of his real job that he'd spilled- any single one of these was bad enough to get him sacked.

And then there was the kisses, those beautiful, warming kisses that were the kindest physical contact Itachi had received since far before his incarceration. Itachi felt a sudden desire to reach up and touch his lips as if he could still feel the echoes of pressure from someone else's mouth, but he quickly stamped out the urge. There were, after all, cameras still trained on him from every angle.

When the clock struck forty-five after eight o'clock, the hour Kisame was supposed to arrive, Itachi began to get really worried. If Kisame had been let go, they would have informed him as he was leaving the day before and arranged for a temporary nurse to bring him in his breakfast at the designated time instead of Kisame, but this unexplained absence of anyone, even just a temporary nurse, was unnervingly wrong. It was required by policy that Itachi be treated a certain way while in his ward, and part of that policy dictated that he be fed, on time, three meals a day. For this bad a breach of that policy to occur, something major must have happened.

Itachi had counted approximately four and a half minutes past eight forty-five when the door abruptly swung open with such force that it hit the padded wall behind it and would have warranted a resounding crash had the wall not been proofed against such attacks. He stood abruptly at the sound, sending his chair skittering back and almost flipping it over backwards onto the floor in his haste.

"Where have you-" Itachi started, mixed anger and relief in his voice, when whoever had opened the door took a hurried step forward into the room, and a cold hand squeezed his chest in a powerful grip.

It wasn't Kisame's footsteps.

A panic coursed through Itachi's veins, but he fought to keep under control, tightening his hands into fists and then releasing them to release the tension building up in his body. _You aren't crazy_ , he reminded himself, curling and uncurling his fists again. _You can control yourself; you have no excuse not to._

"Where's Kisame?" He demanded, trying and mostly succeeding in keeping his voice from turning into a growl.

The too-light footsteps faltered for a second, then continued into the room, closing the door behind her. Itachi didn't think he'd ever had this particular nurse before, but he could tell by the gait that it was a woman, and a young one at that. Ignoring his question, the young nurse walked over to his table with a tray - the silverware was real, another infraction; and good heavens, was that a knife? She must be new around here; knives, even butter knives, were only awarded to the most sane inmates, something he was most definitely not considered - and set it down at the table.

"Good morning, Patient Doe!" She chirped energetically with a slight Hispanic accent, but Itachi could sense an undercurrent of fear in her otherwise chipper tone. "I deeply apologize for the tardiness of your meal. It won't happen again."

"I don't care about the food," Itachi snapped, feeling the rising tide of anger threatening to swamp over him again at her overly rolled r's, energetic Spanish lilt, and inability to tell him what he wanted to know. "I want to know the answer to my question! Where is Kisame? My usual attendant?"

The nurse gave a tiny sound halfway between a gulp and a gasp, and her clothing rustled as she drew back on herself in fear, then shook her head and squared her shoulders. "I'm sorry, but that's a question I can't answer. Now, if you would, please eat your breakfast."

She pushed the tray towards him, and Itachi's olfactory senses were suddenly assaulted but the smell of lightly toasted wheat bread, already buttered with a generous amount of what smelled like orange marmalade. He should have been glad; this was a better breakfast than he had been served in ages, but he also knew he was kept on a much stricter diet than the other patients. Such a deviation from his normal routine, the lateness and the unusual breakfast, made Itachi even more worried than he was before. What was going on?

"Why can't you tell me where he is?" Itachi demanded, deepening his breathing to control his heart rate. He didn't want the intercom crackling to life now; without Kisame to prevent it, he would definitely be sedated if it did.

This time, the nurse wasn't even phased by his reaction, obviously more confident now that she had a line she could feed him. "I'm sorry, but I can't answer that question either. Now eat your breakfast, please."

Itachi turned his face downwards, as if looking at the plate of food he couldn't see. He obviously wasn't getting anywhere like this, so he might as well switch tactics.

Turning around, Itachi groped around blindly for his chair before pulling it back to the table and sitting down, and was rewarded by the sound of the nurse sitting opposite him. He waited a few seconds, wondering if she was going to offer any kind of assistance, but when none was forthcoming, he set about exploring the tray himself. With excruciating slowness so as not to knock anything over, he pushed his fingertips along the tray until they hit the edge of a plate, which, he discovered, housed two slices of toast buttered with what was, in fact, orange marmalade, a fact he discovered when he stuck his finger in it and had to lick it off. To the right of the plate was a full set of silverware, knife, fork and spoon, which Itachi found silly and wasteful for just a plate of toast, and on the right side of the plate was an open-topped plastic glass filled with apple juice, which he again discovered when he stuck his finger in it and had to lick it clean.

 _What the hell is that girl doing over there?_ Itachi seethed inside of himself. _Is this normal eating behavior where she comes from, or is she just not seeing what I'm doing?_

Now royally pissed off, Itachi listened in the direction of the young nurse, and was appalled when a faint sound not unlike keyboard clicks assaulted his ears. _Is she on her phone?_ He thought suddenly, his blood beginning to boil. _Seriously?_

Taking another deep breath to steady his rising heart rate, Itachi folded his hands on his lap and addressed the nurse. "You're fairly new here, correct?"

"Hmm?" The nurse murmured, her hair rustling as she looked up from her phone. "Oh, yes I am. Just started last week."

"Ah." Itachi nodded sagely. "That explains things."

That got her attention. "Explains what?" She asked nervously, her voice getting louder as she leaned forward.

"Oh, just a few little things," Itachi said, leaning back on his chair. "Like the fact that you didn't notice I'm _blind._ "

There was a few seconds of silence as the nurse looked at him, then the meaning of the bandage finally sunk in and she almost jumped from her seat in apology.

"Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry, Patient Doe; I didn't even realize-"

But Itachi held up a hand to stop the deluge of words erupting from her mouth. "It's alright; after all, you clearly haven't had any experience working with me before, since you also brought me the wrong breakfast."

"Wh- what?"

"I'm on a special diet, so I don't get the standard meal. I mostly eat things with a spoon, because it's easier for me to manage. Also, all my drinks come with a cover so I don't spill them."

"Like a sippy cup?" The snicker was clear in the young woman's voice.

"Yes," Itachi said distastefully. "Like a sippy cup. But that's not quite everything; you see, you also brought me real cutlery." He held up the knife as proof, tilting it as if examining it with a nonexistent gaze. "Surely you must be familiar with the rule that states any patient with suicidal tendencies or a history of self harm must be issued plastic silverware at every meal?"

A nervous laugh filled the room. "But you're not-"

"How do you think I went blind?" Itachi interrupted calmly.

There was a few seconds as the woman digested what he's said - God, she was so slow! - before a loud gasp shattered the silence and she grabbed the fork and spoon from the tray, babbling almost incoherently. "Oh gosh-! I didn't even-! Patient Doe-"

"Again with the Patient Doe!" Itachi exclaimed with a frown. "Why are you calling me that?"

"There… There's no last name on your door, so I assumed-"

"That I was an amnesiac?" Itachi supplied half cheerfully, half cynically, twirling the knife between his fingers. "That I didn't know who I was? That I was a state charity case, a blithering idiot more child than man? Because if that's the case, you're sorely mistaken."

"But… But… Patient Doe-!"

"I have a name!" Itachi snapped, allowing a tiny fragment of his anger to bleed into his voice as he gripped the knife tightly in his hand, stopping its rotational motion. "And I'd appreciate if you'd use it!"

"Patient Itachi!" There was real fear in the nurse's voice now. "Give me the knife!"

"Gladly," Itachi answered more calmly, but he was smirking on the inside. He placed the knife in the table, the blade facing toward himself, and slid it across the table, where the nurse hastily snatched it up. "I think you're in enough trouble already without me adding anything else to it."

The nurse froze all movement, even her breathing becoming startlingly silent. "Trouble?" She asked nervously, the silverware in her hand clinking dully as she gripped it too tightly.

"It's impressive, really, that you know so little of the rules in the place you work, though I suppose you could easily rectify that if you spent as much time listening to your instructions as you do on your phone."

Itachi allowed a bite of contempt to enter his tone at that last, and he could almost feel the nurse flinch backwards from the ice in his voice. He didn't give her any time to recover, however, launching into another barrage of words before she could respond.

"And the amount, too," Itachi continued, whistling lightly in contemptuous amazement. "Seven infractions, and all in the span of- well, I was going to say two minutes, but you were almost an hour late, so I guess it was more than two minutes, wasn't it?"

"Seven?" The nurse's voice was faint, as if she felt suddenly lightheaded. "What… What are the other ones?"

Itachi allowed a wicked grin to flash across his face, and he felt the nurse flinch back away from him again. "Why, if I told you, that would ruin the fun, now wouldn't it?"

"A… Ar…" The nurse tried to say something, but only stuttered until she managed to clear her throat and try again. "Are you going to report me?"

"I could…" Itachi rubbed his chin as if thinking it over. "Or, perhaps, you could convince me into silence with, say, the reason why you're here and not my usual attendant."

"But… But… There's confidentiality-"

"Confidentiality is for patients, not workers," Itachi interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to inform your supervisors of your lapses in judgement today?"

"All right, I'll tell you!" The nurse finally gave in, slamming the silverware down onto the table with a dull clank. "Just don't get me fired! I need this job, otherwise I'll never pay off medical school!"

 _Bingo._ Itachi knew a different tactic was all he needed. Leaning forward eagerly, he asked, "So, what's the deal? Where's Kisame?"

"I don't know for sure, but I heard that he just didn't show up, then he called fifteen minutes after he was supposed to come in and said that something was wrong, a family emergency or something, and he wouldn't be able to make it in for the next few days."

Itachi frowned; something in that explanation didn't exactly line up. "A family emergency? Are you sure?"

"I don't know; that's just what I heard!" The nurse's voice trembled with nervousness. "That's all I know, I swear! Please don't get me fired!"

"Don't worry; I'm not that hard-hearted. We did make a deal." The response came on instinct, the autopilot turned on as his mind focused all his attention on digesting the information she had told him.

Her fears assuaged, the nurse leaned forward and asked curiously, "How do you know all this stuff?"

"Well, I have been here a very long time. It does behoove me to know how I should be treated," Itachi said with a chuckle, leaning back in his chair and placing his hands behind his head. This might be a little fun. More fun than just sitting around, anyway.

"But it's got to be more than that; you know these rules inside and out!" There was something akin to admiration in the nurse's voice, but the emotion did nothing to overshadow her residual fear.

"Hmm…" Itachi mused, drumming his fingers on the table thoughtfully. "Well, I did have a _life_ before I was here, though maybe that's a foreign concept to you. Let's just say I know the rule book so well because once upon a time, I had to use it."

Itachi could almost hear the gears turning in the nurse's head as she worked her way through what he'd just said. "You mean… You mean you used to work here?"

"Hmm." Itachi neither confirmed nor denied her assumption, but she must have taken his noncommittal response as an affirmative because she didn't question him about it further.

"Why are you here now? I mean, I know you said your… eyes… but why did you get put here?"

Itachi tilted his head up to the ceiling, a sudden urge to give a serious response catching in his throat. _Violence, probably._ _I don't even know what's in my file, but I did blind myself. Anything can be erased if you put enough money into it, including a person's existence; Daddy Dearest taught me that. That's why my full name's not on the door. I don't even technically exist anymore._

But he swallowed the words back down again. He'd already told Kisame his sorry excuse for a life's story, and look what that had gotten him. There was no reason this woman had to get hurt as well.

Keeping his face upturned, Itachi fixed a sadistically cruel smile on his mouth, then allowed an equally cruel laugh to escape him. That feral smile still on his face, he allowed his chin to drop until his bandaged gaze was focused directly on the black space in his vision that he knew, by the position of her voice, would house the nurse's face.

"Why don't you do your job and read my case file before you walk into my room? It's best to be prepared; after all, I might be _dangeroussss."_ He drew the last word out in a hiss, the chilling sound permeating the room like a cold wind.

The nurse immediately jerked backwards, scattering the silverware onto the floor with a sharp clatter. Itachi could practically smell the fear exuding from her pores, but perhaps that was only his imagination.

"Are… Are you?" She stuttered, drawing back and dropping to the ground to scrabble for the fallen silverware.

Itachi stood up slowly, scraping his chair across the floor. A sound like nails on a chalkboard ripped through the room, muffled slightly by the soft padding on the walls. The nurse, he could tell, wanted to scream, or at least cry out, but a combination of fear and training kept her frozen and silent.

"I don't know," Itachi snarled. "Am I?"

"You- You're mad!" The nurse spat, inching away from him and back towards the door. "A fucking lunatic!"

That struck something deep within Itachi, and his cruel smile faltered for a second. "That is what they tell me," he spat back, but this time, there was a little sadness mixed in with his anger.

The nurse didn't pick up on the sadness, or if she did, she ignored it, allowing her fear to get the better of her as she scrambled back towards the door. "Of course that's what they tell you; you're crazy! That's why you're here!"

"No!" Itachi snapped, the hurt the statement caused making it sound more waspish than he intended. He softened his tone, turning his face away from the door and nurse. "I'm here because someone else told me I was crazy."

He could almost see the nurse shake her head before he finished his sentence. "You're delusional. I don't know your story, but I do know that this is the best place for you. You may be some kind of genius, but you're still a mad one."

A bitter smile pulled up the corners of Itachi's mouth. "Am I?"

"Yes, you are!" The nurse fumbled with the doorknob, but didn't open the door. "You're a lunatic, and I never want to see you again! I'm leaving right now, and I'm never coming back! Someone else can clean up after your crazy ass, because I certainly won't do it!"

"Then leave!" Itachi snarled, sweeping a hand in the general direction of the door. "What's stopping you?"

"Our... d-deal…" The nurse stuttered, clutching the doorknob harder and causing its bolts to tinkle. "It still holds, right?"

His upper lip curling into a distasteful grimace, Itachi shook his head in disapproval. "You know, that's why I can't stand people like you; you can never believe in the word of someone you don't know. Well, sweetheart, the word of a madman is one of the few things you can trust about him, because it's the one of the only things he has left."

"A man's word is only as good as his mind!" The nurse accused, terror causing her voice to shake almost uncontrollably.

Anger coursed through Itachi with a heat like a furnace at that, bringing something to the surface that he hadn't felt in a long time: hatred. Baring his teeth in his most terrible smile yet, Itachi snarled, "Then I guess you're just going to have to take that chance, aren't you?"

The nurse spat something at Itachi in Spanish too quickly for him to understand, but he did catch _el Diablo_ somewhere in the middle and he had the sinking feeling that she might be genuflecting at the same time as well. The door was wrenched open with almost the same amount of force as the first time she'd opened it, sending it, with a muffled crash, into the soft wall behind it as she fled the room. With a sound much louder than the one it made against the wall, the door slammed shut, the sound of the lock clicking shut resounding through the room like a death knell.

Completely unperturbed, or with at least the semblance of not caring, Itachi sat back down and reached for a piece of toast. He never particularly cared for the young nurses, or the older ones either, for that matter. They were crotchety and set in their ways, and the younger ones, the millennials, weren't much better in the stubbornness department. He supposed that it was a generational thing; his particular brand of dark humor didn't sit well with anyone over the age of sixty or below the age of thirty. He'd made many nurses run screaming from his room before, and this one wouldn't be any different. Though the cursing in Spanish and accusations of being possessed by the Devil were new.

Oh, he knew it had been wrong, but Itachi had so enjoyed scaring the pants off that nurse! Everything about her had irritated him, from her falsely chipper voice to her blatant disregard for the rules. The infractions she'd racked up in the scant few minutes she'd been with Itachi had been astonishing, to say the least. Not all of them had been major, but all together, they were definitely enough to get her fired.

One: the breakfast being late. This one probably wasn't her fault, just a byproduct of a difficult situation, but Itachi felt petty enough that he wanted to pin it on her anyway.

Two: bringing the wrong breakfast. Again, this one probably wasn't entirely her fault, but there definitely were actions she could have taken to prevent it if she'd been paying attention.

Three: inattention to a patient with extra needs. Though, considering her inability to even bring him the right breakfast, that wasn't very surprising.

Four, and the start of the more major infractions: cell phone use in the room of a patient. Private electronic use, especially the use of mobile phones, was forbidden in the presence of anyone in the institution.

Five: the cutlery. This was the biggest one, probably enough to get her fired by itself.

Six: not reading a patient's file before attending to them. Going in to see a patient unprepared and uninformed was one of the most dangerous things a nurse in this line of work could do.

And seven: allowing a patient to manipulate you into giving them what they want.

Itachi smiled and bit into his piece of toast, savoring the strong and much anticipated taste of orange marmalade on his tongue. Baiting that nurse had been one of the most fun things he'd done in a while, though he knew Kisame wouldn't have approved.

The sweetly buttered toast suddenly turned bland in Itachi's mouth as he thought of Kisame. The nurse had explained why she had come instead of him, but Itachi still felt like he hadn't been given the whole story. _A family emergency._ Kisame had voluntarily told him that the only person he considered his family had died years ago. What, then, could his 'family emergency' be? An unexpected reunion with his father's gang? Or was it a cover for something else entirely?

The soggy mouthful of bland toast Itachi was chewing turned to ash in his mouth as his throat suddenly went dry. With a grimace, he swallowed the food in his mouth, the rough bread scraping against his dry throat, and set the last remaining crust back down on the plate. He'd lost his appetite.

So, in reality, all Itachi had learned was that Kisame hadn't been fired; he was still no closer to finding out why Kisame hadn't shown up or when he was coming back. If he was coming back.

Itachi laid his head down on the table, suddenly too tired to do anything else. He missed Kisame: his warm hands, his soft voice, and his wonderful way of making Itachi feel sane. He just hoped Kisame would be coming back soon.


	36. The Broken Kings

Hinata was already sleeping when Neji stuck his head in to check on her, but he was grateful so she wouldn't have to see the massive bruises forming around his neck. Though they probably would be an even worse color by the next morning, so it was only a temporary procrastination.

Careful not to wake his cousin, Neji stole softly into the room by the light of the moon through the open window. It must have been hot when she went to bed because all the covers had been thrown to the side, but with the draft through the open window, the room was now quite cold, and Hinata was curled up under only her sheet, shivering a little. Taking pity on her, Neji crossed quietly to the bed, setting the cup of hot tea Sakura had made him before sending him off to bed on the bedside table, and tugged the quilt over her small frame. Immediately, her shivering stopped and she relaxed from her curled position into a more sprawling one.

She really was small and delicate, Neji thought as he stood back up to his full height and regarded her in the faint moonlight. It was no wonder that her father, one of the most influential members of the Hyuuga family, had asked Neji, one of its most promising young men, to look after her. At least, that was the formal answer.

On a whim, Neji leaned down, tucking his hair behind his ear so it wouldn't brush against Hinata's cheek, and pressed his lips against her pale forehead. He really did love Hinata; she was like his sister and very dear to him. And yet, he knew there were other plans for their futures.

Neji stood back up and grabbed his cup of tea before turning back to the door. He had almost made it across the room when there was a stirring behind him as Hinata came halfway out of unconsciousness.

"Neji? Is that you? Is something the matter?"

"No," Neji replied, and was glad that his voice, though hoarse, was getting back to normal. "I… just came in to check on you."

"Oh, alright. 'Night, Neji." Hinata turned back over and made as if to slip back into whatever dreamland from whence she had come, but a sudden urge made Neji call out to her again.

"Hinata?"

"Yes, Neji?" She answered diligently, if sleepily, her face almost buried in her pillow.

"We… we'll be leaving tomorrow morning," he said with a strange lump in his throat. "It might be fairly early. I trust you still have your bags packed?"

"Of course." Hinata rolled back over so her face was completely in the pillow, the soft down muffling the sound of her voice. "Goodnight, Neji."

The dismissal was clear. With a small smile, Neji whispered, "goodnight, Hinata," then backed out the door and closed it behind him.

 _Back to reality,_ Neji thought dismally as he leaned against Hinata's door and took a large gulp of tea. The liquid was still quite hot, and Neji made a face at the unpleasant burning sensation in his throat and took a more reasonable sip. It had been about a week since Neji had gotten gotten that frantic phone call from someone he barely remembered meeting in his early teenage years, begging him to come be his second pair of eyes. And he'd come, even dragging Hinata with him, to escape, even for a little while, the quiet power struggles and family politics of the Hyuuga.

A pleasant _ting_ came from Neji's phone in his pocket, signaling that he had just received a text message. Careful not to spill his tea, Neji fished the phone from his pocket and unlocked it with one hand. The text was part of an ongoing conversation that had started earlier that evening, and it read: _So, can you make it back?_

 _Just barely,_ he typed back with one thumb. _I'm trying to book a flight back, but it will be tight. The time change should work on my favor, though, but I still won't have time to grab my stuff. Can you do it for me?_

 _Sure thing_ , came the speedy reply. _You need me to pick up your clothes too?_

 _Yes, please._

 _Alrighty. Just the shirt and pants, or do you need shoes as well?_

 _Just the shirt and pants. I have shoes. Oh, but could you grab me a tie too?_

 _Can do._

 _Thanks._

 _Well, I know it's later there than here, so I'll let you go. Night, Neji._

 _Goodnight. See you tomorrow evening._

 _You'd better._

Their conversation over, Neji slipped the phone into his pocket with a sigh. This is what came of his double life; he ended up stretching himself too thin.

Neji reached for the handle of the door to his room, but froze just before his fingers brushed it. There was a presence sitting in a familiar position behind the door, one he knew quite well - _far too well,_ the deep recesses of his mind whispered at him - and one he had been hoping to avoid.

Resigning himself to the confrontation that was coming, Neji took a deep breath and another sip of his tea, then pushed open the door. Sitting on the floor, behind the black side of an unfinished game of chess, was Shikamaru. His brow was furrowed as he regarded the chessboard, not even looking up as Neji clicked the door closed behind him. With a deliberate movement, Shikamaru picked up a knight and moved it, placing it down with a sharp clack. The breath caught in Neji's throat; he'd never seen the phantom like this before. What had he done to make him this pissed off?

Neji sat down opposite Shikamaru and delicately slid a pawn forward. "What's got you in such a bad mood?" He asked, continuing their habit of conversing with chess moves.

The sharp click of another piece being slammed down against the chessboard was the only answer Neji got. He raised his eyebrows at the behavior; this was extremely unlike the well-disciplined phantom. Shikamaru's finger still rested on the top of his piece as if he was unwilling to make the move. With a soft sigh, he let his finger side off the chess piece and answered Neji's question with one of his own.

"That tea Sakura gave you… it's doing well for your voice, isn't it?"

A little confused, Neji answered on his next move. "Yeah, it's great. I can almost speak normally again."

"That's good…"

Shikamaru's words trailed off. His gaze still hasn't risen to meet Neji's yet, and his hands were folded in his lap and showing no indication that they would soon move to the chessboard.

With a sudden start as if shaking himself from a daydream, Shikamaru jerked his head up so his gaze bored deep into Neji's, then made another harsh move. "You're leaving?" He asked almost contemptuously, but there was something resembling fear in his eyes.

Unable to hold the ironclad gaze for long, Neji looked down at the board and made his next move. Both of them, he noticed idly, were playing haphazardly, without much thought to strategy. Right now, the game was simply a vehicle to the conversation.

"I have… a prior engagement back home tomorrow evening that I was reminded of just recently, and it's not something I'd like to miss. So, yes, I'm leaving."

"What could be so important that you'd make the decision to run back within the past hour?"

The question was asked with more than a little disdain, and Neji hesitated, not really wanting to answer. Well, he figured, Shikamaru had done the same thing earlier, and two could play at that game.

"Why does it matter to you?" He snapped, surprising even himself with the hostility in his tone.

If Shikamaru was perturbed by the tone of his voice, he hid it very well, looking back down at the chessboard. "It doesn't."

 _Ouch._ Neji didn't know why, but that hurt more than he expected it to. Thrown off his game, he fumbled for a move and a comeback.

"Well… It's… It's… It's not like I came here for vacation anyway. It's been strictly business. But Hinata and I are used to moving around a lot last minute for business," he hedged, pushing his rook forward a large number of spaces, which was unusual for him; he tended to make smaller, more cautious moves.

This inexplicably sparked both Shikamaru's attention and anger like nothing Neji had said before. With a jolt, his head snapped up with sparks of rage in his eyes, and there was something in his face that was hard to identify. Was is more anger? Hatred? Loneliness?

He seemed to realize the expression on his face and hid it well within a few seconds, but Neji knew this time that he hadn't imagined it. Still avoiding looking him in the eye, Shikamaru twitched a finger and sent a piece skittering forward in almost a mirror of Neji's move, spitting out at the same time, "What's that girl to you?"

"Hinata?" Neji was taken completely aback, then deeply offended. " _Hinata_ ," he said with a stress on her name, picking up a chess piece and banging it down at the same time, "is my cousin."

"I know that," Shikamaru said through gritted teeth, but this time, he didn't even glance down at the chessboard. "I don't sit around here all day with mud in my ears. That's not what I asked."

Oh. So that's what he was asking. When he realized the true nature of the question, something hot and angry exploded inside of Neji, and he jumped to his feet with trembling fists.

"Excuse me? _Excuse me?"_ Neji asked in a voice trembling with rage, the same anger coursing throughout his body. "What right do you have to ask that question? What audacity do you posses that lets you even think you have that right?"

"I-" Shikamaru started, his face an unreadable mask, but Neji cut him off.

"No! You don't get to talk right now! What kind of twisted, sick mind do you have that would even think that? Jesus! Hinata and I were raised as close as siblings; she's like a sister to me!"

Something like relief flashed across Shikamaru's face, and a sense of dawning horror came over Neji.

"Oh, no. You weren't angry that I was leaving… you were jealous."

Shikamaru didn't answer, but his silence was as good as any affirmation.

"Oh, no. Oh, no." Neji started to tremble again, but for an entirely different reason. "You… you can't… you aren't allowed to be jealous! This… you… but…!"

Neji was rapidly losing his ability to talk from shock and an outward fear of- something. His breathing was escalating rapidly, but not as rapidly as his heartbeat, which thundered in his ears like the echo of the strange, multicolored firecrackers of confused emotion that were going off inside his head.

Suddenly, something with the approximate size and weight of a shoe slammed into the wall that separated Sasuke's room from his, accompanied with an annoyed voice.

"Hey, bastard, I'm trying to sleep! Either calm down or take your lovers' quarrel somewhere else so I get some shuteye, no?"

There was no response, so Sasuke grumbled something else for good measure and then fell silent, but Neji wasn't paying enough attention to him to even react to the "lovers' quarrel" statement. His gaze had fallen to the chessboard and the configuration of pieces upon it, and his body stopped all function as his brain processed what he saw. Shikamaru, too, glanced down at the board and froze when he saw what it held. Neji's knees buckled, sending him back down to his original sitting position opposite the phantom over the chessboard. The board, untouched since Neji's last angry move, lay quietly on the ground, unassuming despite the momentous weight it carried.

"Say it," Shikamaru said quietly, almost resignedly, his gaze fixed on the chessboard.

Neji tried to force his frozen lips to move, but they were sluggish and unresponsive. On his second try, he managed it, the word almost disconnected from his mind by a physical barrier.

"Check."

A small, humorless laugh escaped Shikamaru. "Look again."

Neji did, and his eyes widened even further. His gaze swinging up to confront the suddenly dark gaze of Shikamaru, he said, "Checkmate."

The enormity of it was almost overpowering, and Neji dropped his gaze to the chessboard again, as if to confirm what he already knew to be true but couldn't quite believe. The tension of their fight was completely lost in the face of this strange new concept, but even as it was bleeding away, a new tension was taking its place, one much thicker and darker and with more than a hint of heat.

There was a conspicuous absence of sound from Shikamaru's side of the chessboard, and Neji looked up again with a slight frown causing a crease between his eyebrows, only to find himself much closer to the phantom then he remembered being. Unconsciously, he had leaned over the chessboard as if he had been drawn by a magnet, and Shikamaru had done the same, mirroring him in his forward movement until they were only a few inches apart. The breath that escaped Neji's mouth in a surprised gasp blew over the phantom's face, but left no visible change in its wake.

"Wh-" Neji started to say, but Shikamaru reached up and pressed a gentle hand against his cheek, his thumb covering Neji's parted lips and stopping whatever he was going to say.

"Shhh," he murmured, his eyelids lowering down almost to half mast. "Now isn't the time for talking…"

 _Why,_ Neji almost asked, but before he could, Shikamaru closed the remaining distance between them and silenced him with something far more efficient than his thumb.

Something in Neji's brain short circuited when Shikamaru kissed him; that was the only explanation why he wasn't resisting, wasn't pushing him away, wasn't demanding an explanation for the ghost's behavior, was… kissing him back? The new tension wound around him like the heady, perfumed smoke of a drug, and now Neji recognized it for what it was: desire.

Shikamaru pressed harder against Neji, and he let the ghost push him back, chess pieces scattering as he came over the board. Neji's hand, almost independent of his will, snuck up Shikamaru's shoulder to his cheek and then to his hair, tearing it free from the elastic that held it back from his face. As soon as it lost contact with the strands of hair it had been containing, it disintegrated in Neji's fingers, leaving him to grip the back of Shikamaru's head like it was a lifeline. In retaliation, Shikamaru also pulled Neji's hair from its elastic, sifting his hands through the soft strands as he shifted the kiss from a soft, close-mouthed kiss to an open-mouthed one.

Almost separate from his body, Neji felt himself clutch at the back of Shikamaru's neck as he melted into the kiss, the ghost's hands like streaks of fire against his skull. Suddenly, Neji felt himself falling backwards, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The hand not at the back of Shikamaru's neck jerked back reflexively to keep him from slamming into the ground, and he ended up propping himself up on his elbow. The move had thrown Shikamaru off balance slightly as well, and he fell forward onto Neji, their bodies lying flush together on the ground.

With a small gasp, Shikamaru pulled back and broke the kiss, but didn't break the eye contact Neji hadn't realized he'd been holding since before the kiss had started. They both were panting, Shikamaru strong enough that his ghostly breath was able to stir the strands of hair drifting over Neji's face.

Neji could see the reflection of his face in Shikamaru's eyes, his gaze unfocused and confused in the clarity of the pools of mirror-like darkness. His whole mind felt foggy, like he was intoxicated, drugged by the feeling and scent of Shikamaru near to him. Breath resounded between them, tasting of shadows and the sweetness of the honey in Neji's tea. It was a precious moment, a magical moment, caught and frozen in the arch between life and death, something that shouldn't exist, and yet _did_.

And then Neji's mind woke up, and it woke up with a vengeance.

"What the fuck are you doing?" He cried, disentangling himself from Shikamaru all at once and flinging the phantom from him.

Shikamaru slid backwards several feet from the force of the push and landed in the middle of the chessboard, scattering the last few remnants of their game. The look of shock on his face, Neji got the feeling, had more to do with the expletive he had dropped than the physical rejection.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Shikamaru asked almost icily, recovering quickly from his shock. "You're a smart cookie; you tell me."

"I shouldn't have to!" Neji exploded. "You shouldn't be doing these bloody… confusing… maddening things without any warning!"

"Without any warning?" Shikamaru jumped up, anger starting to race across his features. "I have literally been hitting on you for the past week! I don't think I could have been any more obvious! What the hell did you think I was doing? What else could I have been doing?"

"I don't know, I don't know!" Neji cried, tears of angry confusion starting to form in his eyes. "I just… I.. I…"

"You've just had your head shoved up your ass the entire week, is that it?"

The words were meant to wound, aiming big directly at Neji's deepest worries from from past week, and he flinched at them. Sighing a little, Shikamaru passed a hand over his eyes, and when he drew it away, every trace of anger had faded from his countenance, leaving only an annoyed tiredness.

"I'm sorry," he started, then frowned a little and sighed again. "Actually, I won't lie to you: I'm not sorry. For any of it."

"Why?" Neji managed, looking up at the phantom from where he still lay on the floor.

Shikamaru seemed, to Neji, like some kind of deity of legend floating above him, his eyes fierce and gentle at the same time. "Because," he said, "because I got to see the real you, even for just a few minutes."

"What… what do you mean?" Neji gasped out, his breathing becoming ragged.

All of a sudden, Shikamaru ducked down to Neji's level, his face alarmingly close. "This," he said clearly, "is the lie. But this…" He trailed off, his hand reaching forward to rest against Neji's cheek, whose breathing ratcheted up a notch. "This is the truth. I got you to pull back the lie and let me see the truth, and that means I won."

The words were washing over Neji like a soothing ocean wave, the sound gentle and seductive, turning his mind to mush and his self-control to jelly. Then the meaning of the words kicked in, and a fury like he'd never felt before scalded through Neji's system.

With rage as his sole motivation, Neji fumbled for the closest thing to his hand - which turned out to be his half-empty tea mug - and hurled it against the phantom with all his might. At the last second, Shikamaru noticed it coming, and it passed harmlessly through his incorporeal body to shatter against the wall, splashing a stream of hot liquid as it went.

"Get the fuck away from me!" Neji shrieked as quietly as he could, mindful of Sasuke next door. "I'm not just some fucking game you can play, Shikamaru! You can just 'win' my existence! My life is more than a toy for you enjoyment!"

"I know that," Shikamaru started, reaching for Neji's angry fist, but he shook the ghost off and stood, anger still coursing through his system.

"No," he said, the fire in his eyes hot enough to melt steel. "No, I don't think you do."

Something in Shikamaru's face closed off at that, but Neji had the feeling it had less to do with anger and more to do with the hurt the words had caused.

 _Good,_ Neji suddenly thought with a viciousness he barely recognized as his own. _Hurt, cry, bleed inside; you'll finally realize what it's like to have your mind torn apart and analyzed by someone else!_

His face still closed off, Shikamaru stood up, leveling his gaze to bore directly into Neji's.

"Then leave," he said quietly. Too quietly. "Leave here tomorrow, or hell, you could even leave tonight! Leave and never come back, and never think about me again. That's what you want, right?"

"That's not..." Neji started hotly, then trailed off as he realized that it was what he wanted. Or, rather, what he should want.

"But it is. Or what it should be," Shikamaru said in a hollow voice, as if echoing the thoughts in Neji's mind. "People like me exist to pull apart people like you, Neji, and people like you exist to resist people like me. If you don't want to lose that shell you've built around yourself, I suggest you turn around and walk away right now, because in this particular battle, I can guarantee that I will win. But neither of us will escape the war unscathed."

The chill caused by Shikamaru's words cooled the fire of Neji's anger, replacing it with a frozen numbness. "I… I…"

"Just turn your back," Shikamaru continued in that same hollow tone. "That's all you have to do. Just turn your back right now, and I'll be gone."

"I… I ca-"

Neji was interrupted by the pleasant _ting_ of his cell phone's text alert from behind him on the floor. He didn't remember putting it there, so it must have fallen from his pocket when he'd jumped up. Reflexively, Neji turned his head to read the text scrawling across the phone's surface. It read:

 _Sorry, I know I said I'd quit bugging you, but what color tie should I bring you? We're going for a rainbow theme, and blue, red, and green are already taken. Any preference?_

The screen darkened to black just as Neji finished skimming the message. Dismissing it as unimportant to the moment, he turned back around to face Shikamaru.

Only to find… nothing. No hollow eyes, no smug smile, no shadows, just… nothing.

"Shit!"

Neji spun in a circle, trying to locate any vanishing trace of the phantom. _This wasn't right,_ his gut was trying to tell him, to convince him that Shikamaru wouldn't just leave in the middle of an argument, but his mind could only remember the last sentence the phantom had uttered: _Just turn your back right now, and I'll be gone._

"Dammit, Shikamaru! I'm not done with you! Where the hell'd you go?"

There was no sign of Shikamaru's presence, even a disappearing one, which should have been impossible. Nothing could exist one moment and then simply disappear; it was physically impossible.

Unless you could teleport.

For the first time in his life, Neji let out a stream of curse words that impressed even himself, including several he pulled out of the recesses of his mind that he didn't even know he knew. In a fit of blind rage, he reached down and grabbed the first thing his hand touched and hurled it at the wall. It was only when it hit the wooden paneling that he recognized it as the black king, the weakest and yet most important chess piece to the black set. As if in slow motion, the king broke against wall, the crown separating from the rest of the piece from the force of the impact, and landed in two pieces in the slowly spreading pool of tea cooling on the floor.

The tea! Springing into action with another impressive string of swears, Neji grabbed the closest thing he could find, which happened to be a box of tissues, and tried to sop up the spreading mess, but the flimsy paper practically disintegrated as soon as it touched the pool of tea, so Neji had to scoop the pulpy, wet mess up and throw it away before it made things worse.

After a quick glance around the room revealed that there was nothing else that could be useful in cleaning up the spill, Neji wrenched open the door and strode across the hall to the bathroom. Once inside the bathroom, he opened up every cabinet and searched through the contents until he found a pile of fluffy white towels. Grabbing the top one, he strode out of the bathroom and promptly bumped into a sleepy Hinata.

"Neji?" She asked sleepily, rubbing tiredness from her eyes. "What-" yawn "-are you doing?"

"I- just cleaning up a spill," Neji answered after a little hesitation. "Why are you up?"

"I got coughing and needed a drink," Hinata explained with a delicate cough as punctuative proof. "I heard shouting. Were you fighting with someone?"

Neji hesitated much longer this time before answering. How much of the truth should he tell her? "Yes, but it's nothing you need to worry about. Just go back to bed and get some rest; tomorrow will be a long day."

"Yes, Neji," Hinata said dutifully, then darted up on her tiptoes to place a quick kiss on his cheek before slipping around him into the bathroom.

A small smile touched the corner of Neji's mouth at the gesture, and he continued on to his room in a slightly happier mood. When he pushed the door open, however, both his smile and good mood evaporated as reality set back in. A more bitter expression twisting his mouth, Neji moved to the spill and started mopping it up with the towel.

The sweet smell of honey clogged the air with its cloying scent, reminding Neji unwillingly of honey-scented breath gasped out by lungs desperate for fresh air. With a grimace to brush away the memory, Neji picked up the shattered remains of the mug and, deeming it irreparable, threw it into the trash can sitting next to the dresser. After getting as much of the tea as he could up with the towel, grateful that he had managed to drink most of it before pitching it so unceremoniously against the wall, he brought the towel back to the bathroom - which, he was glad to see, no longer contained Hinata, who had obviously taken his advice and gone back to bed - and lobbed it into the dirty laundry bin, feeling more than slightly guilty about the stain the towel would now more than likely sport. Making a mental note to warn either Sakura or that other girl - the blond one; what was her name again? - about both the potential stain and the sticky residue that would likely marr the floor by the following morning before he left the Hokage for good, Neji headed back to his room.

As soon as he stepped back inside the room, however, Neji was confronted with the chessboard in disarray in the center of the floor. A feeling of unidentifiable uneasiness swamped Neji's stomach, and he walked over to the wall and picked up the two pieces of the black king, which he had avoided in his earlier bout of cleaning. They were sticky from the honey residue, but the broken edges were sharp, and Neji almost drew blood when he accidentally ran his finger along the break.

Grabbing a tissue from the box - at least those stupid scraps of paper were useful for something - Neji wiped the liquid and drying sugary stickiness away from the black plastic. He didn't know why he did it, but it begged to be done and his hands moved without permission from his mind. When it was clean, he threw the tissue away and sat down on the edge of the bed to examine the broken king.

The two halves of the chess piece had a dull weight in his hand, more than the mass a single plastic toy should have. Something else was contained in the chess piece, something intangible and yet impossibly massive. But what was it? Memories? Guilt? Shadows? The reflection of unreadable eyes?

The weight of the broken chess piece dragged down on Neji's hand, pulling it into his lap and causing his fingers to curl around it. It was such a meaningless, simple little thing, a chess piece, and useless now that it was broken, and yet, Neji couldn't bring himself to have it follow the broken mug and sodden tissues into the trash can.

 _Leave and never come back, and never think about me again. That's what you want, right?_

The words passed unbidden through Neji's mind, and he closed his fist over the broken chess piece.

"Yes… and no," he whispered out loud. "I have to leave. I don't necessarily want to."

 _I have literally been hitting on you for the past week! I don't think I could have been any more obvious!_

Neji's eyes closed; his hands trembled, and he laid his forehead on them to lessen the shaking.

"I know," he said a little brokenly. "I knew all along. I just… I just was too afraid. I wanted you to make the first move. But I'm… I'm the white player. I move first."

 _I'm not sorry. For any of it._

"You shouldn't have to be. You were right, after all. People like you and me can't stay in stasis forever; we exist to influence the other."

 _Just turn your back right now, and I'll be gone._

"But I… I…" Neji looked up, his eyes widening as he realized the simple truth in his own words. "I don't want you to be gone. I don't want to never see you again. You can't leave now; the game… the game is yet unfinished."

Neji stood up so fast that he got a little lightheaded, and he swayed in his feet, reaching out to grab hold of the bedpost. Behind him, on the bed where he had tossed it, Neji's phone gave out another pleasant text tone, but he ignored it.

"The game is yet unfinished," he repeated with more certainty, gripping the broken chess piece tighter. "The game must be completed. Isn't that what you taught me? And the game isn't over until the king is captured."

 _The king… is captured…. The king…_

"Byakugan," Neji gasped out, and his senses immediately expanded far beyond their normal capacity. On the other side of the walls on either side of him, he heard Sasuke's and Hinata's heavy breathing, the sound enough to reassure him that they were both asleep. In Sasuke's room, he felt another dim presence as well, which he assumed to be the passed out Naruto. No other restless spirits roamed the Hokage and all other humans, except for a single worker in the kitchen, had gone to sleep. And as they should; it was well past eleven.

But it wasn't the Hokage he needed to search.

Taking a deep breath, Neji expanded his spectral senses outwards, through Konoha. Ghosts littered the town like droplets of rain on a window, some small and solitary and some drawing together to form pools of spectral energy. Neji knew the chance of Shikamaru having joined one of the groups was low, but he checked them anyway. Gaara was back on his beach, surrounded by several awestruck bystanders. His aura was rolling with more than a little fear and Neji could tell he didn't want the onlookers there, but he was being held back from attacking them by the little phantom who had managed to tame him. On the opposite side of the Hokage from Gaara, Shino and Kiba were trying to shepherd a confused Tsunade back to her resting place, but she kept going in the wrong direction, much to the dismay of the two phantoms. Other groups of confused specters and figures wandered the streets aimlessly, trying unsuccessfully to find their haunting grounds. The solitary ones, Neji realized after a quick glance at each one, were the draugrs of the town, already back at their haunting grounds and their solitary sedentary lives.

So Shikamaru had left the town. How far could his shadow teleportation take him, especially in his exhausted state? How fast could he recover from that? He hadn't passed out like Naruto had, so he must've had some internal reservoir of strength not yet depleted. But the question was, how much strength? Enough to get him out of Konoha, certainly, but was it enough to get him out of the county? The state? Was it enough to get him back to the site of his death, in Europe?

As soon as Neji thought that, he shook his head. Shikamaru wasn't attached to his death site like a draugr; he was a phantom, and the site of his haunting was the Hokage and Konoha. He wouldn't be able to stray far from the town or the inn. But where, then, could he be?

There was only one other place that Neji could think of to look. Closing his eyes to heighten his other senses, he stretched the range of his aura sensing abilities to almost their limit at about a mile away, to the Konoha Nature Trail system and the clearing it hid from prying eyes.

Sure enough, Neji could dimly feel a familiar shadowy presence in the clearing. His eyes popping open, he dismissed his extra senses and looked around the room with his natural vision. After the colorful spectral auras he'd been looking at, the room seemed dull and colorless in comparison. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he sprang into action, shoving the broken chess piece into his pocket and grabbing his suit jacket from where it hung next to the door.

Already out of the door before he had one arm in his sleeve, Neji took the stairs two at a time, racing down them faster then he would normally dare to go. Leaving the jacket unbuttoned after he got his other sleeve on, Neji let it flap in the wind of his passing as he dashed to the front door and pulled it open, only to find his progress abruptly halted by pouring rain.

Of course it raining. Of course it was fucking raining.

His breath misting in the cool draft of the outside air, Neji hesitated at the open door. He hadn't really been thinking when he'd started his mad dash to find Shikamaru, but now that he'd been stopped by the rain, his mind took the opportunity to catch up to his body.

 _Stop this,_ it roared at him as droplets of water hit his face, pushed there by the cold wind. _You're not some pathetic, lovestruck character in a Nicholas Sparks novel, dashing off into the pouring rain at the slightest provocation! You're a Hyuuga, dammit, and you'd better start acting like one!_

Neji's hand tightened on the doorknob, but he didn't close it. Behind him, he heard whoever it was working in the kitchen come out into the entrance hall, but he didn't turn around to look at them.

"Hey, don't just stand there with the door wide- oh, Neji, it's you. Whatcha doing up at this hour?"

Neji turned around at the sound of Kakashi's voice to see the owner of the inn coming toward him, wiping his hands on a towel. Halfway up his left forearm, the bandage that had been wrapped around his wound was starkly white against his tanned skin, and Neji felt a twinge of guilt go through him. Though he knew it wasn't his fault the injury had happened, he knew that Kakashi had been injured because the shield Shikamaru had conjured up had been centered on himself.

Neji suddenly realized that Kakashi was standing there with his one visible eyebrow raised, obviously waiting for an answer to a question Neji couldn't quite remember hearing.

"It's raining," Neji said after the silence stretched on for a few awkward seconds too long, and Kakashi's face broke into a kind, indulgent smile.

"That it is, my young friend, that it is," Kakashi said, coming up behind him to close the door. Neji let go of the doorknob reluctantly, and Kakashi gave a little chuckle at the boy's behavior.

"So it's that kind of thing, is it?"

With a slight frown, Neji asked, "Pardon?"

"I've seen that look before," Kakashi clarified. "I used to wear it myself, many years ago. You're looking for someone, but you're not sure if you want to find them."

"I… I…" Neji stuttered, shocked at how easily Kakashi had guessed what was going through his head and a little miffed that now two people in the span of a single hour had managed to make him speechless.

"It's alright," Kakashi laughed, turning to rummage through a nearby closet. "Everyone has to have one of these moments sometime in their life, or else, what's the point of being human?"

 _What was the point of being human?_ Neji suddenly wondered. To live? If so, he had that covered; he was alive, and the meaning of life was simply 'not death', according to every common dictionary. _But_ , he suddenly wondered for the first time in his life, _shouldn't there be more to life than simply not being dead?_

"Ah, here we are!" Kakashi said with his head still stuck in the closet, breaking Neji away from his thoughts. Extricating himself from the multitude of mops and brooms in the storage unit, he held up, as if for Neji's approval, an old fashioned black umbrella. "This should be of some use to you. How about it?"

Neji stared at the proffered umbrella for a second, then reached out a hand to take it. His hand molded to the grip on the handle like it would to the hilt of a sword, and for a second, he felt like he'd been bestowed with the fairytale prince's enchanted blade, shining with truth and power, to go slay the dragon and rescue the princess.

With his next blink, the feeling was gone, and the umbrella returned to its humble black shape. Neji started to open it up, but Kakashi laid a hand on his, stopping the movement.

At Neji's questioning look, he shrugged. "Don't open it indoors. It causes bad luck."

A frown tugged at the corners of Neji's mouth as he to figure out if Kakashi really believed what he was saying, or if he was pulling his leg. With a dismissive shake of his head, Neji decided it didn't matter and turned to open up the door and step out.

Just before he exited and was lost to the rain, Neji remembered something and turned back to Kakashi.

"Thank you," he said, then turned back to the door, popped open the umbrella, and jumped out into the night.

With a small smile and a gentle shake of his head, Kakashi watched him go. "Go get 'em, tiger," he whispered, but Neji was already lost to the rainy darkness.


	37. Heartache and Acceptance

The moon, nearly full a week before, had waned to a mere shadow of its former self, the light that remained barely strong enough to illuminate the small clearing Shikamaru was standing in once it filtered down through the branches overhead. At night, the clearing was a much different place than in the daytime. The curling ferns and dainty wildflowers from the sunlit hours had gone to sleep to wait out the darkness, their beauty replaced by the wonder of a myriad of fireflies darting lazily among the closed flower buds and long grasses at the edge of the clearing. The plants were drooping from the heavy rain that had passed through and only stopped a few minutes ago. It had been a cold storm, a coastal rain headed inland from the nearby ocean, heavy with the scent of regret and new beginnings.

Shikamaru had stood in the center of the clearing and let the rain pour over him, cleansing him body and soul. He was tired, so very tired, not even able to gather the energy to solidify himself enough to feel the touch of the rain on his skin. Instead, he had lifted his face to the rain and let it pour through him, remaining motionless even when a drop of water fell directly through his open eye.

Now, with the clouds blown from the sky by a brisk wind, taking the rain with them, Shikamaru was left staring up at the moon with no change in his peacefully troubled expression. A cool breeze swept through the clearing, but Shikamaru barely felt its chill. Slowly, almost immeasurably slowly, Shikamaru raised his right hand towards the moon, reaching out as if he could command it closer. But the moon refused to answer his summons and stayed still in the sky, and a tremble crept into his hand.

He'd been a fool that night, in more ways than one. His exhaustion reeked of it, of the foolish things he'd done. Transporting so many people through his shadows had been the first mistake, then the amount of energy he'd used up in the confrontation with the Akatsuki, then the energy he'd foolishly wasted in his confrontation with… in the game of chess he'd played, and finally, the stupid move of teleporting once again in his exhausted condition. If his spectral power was a cell phone battery, there'd be a blinking red bar in the upper right hand corner and a notification warning him of five percent battery remaining. He'd pass out soon if he wasn't careful.

But he hadn't been careful, had he? He'd boldly crossed every line he'd ever set for himself, except perhaps one. And for what? To impress… _him_? The idea was laughable. And yet, it was true.

Shikamaru had set out to pry him apart, to learn everything he could about him, to know him so well that he could rip him apart just to put him back together again. But Shikamaru had been the one to get pulled apart at the seems, the one to learn thing about himself that he'd rather have kept hidden. Of course, he'd at least partially succeeded in his goal; Shikamaru had gotten him to open up and broken through the shell surrounding his mind. But at what cost?

Perhaps… perhaps it didn't even matter anymore.

Shikamaru was the Shadowmaster, the puppet master, the one controlling things from the shadows. He shouldn't have entered the fray, shouldn't have gotten his hands dirty. He needed to play games to survive, because warfare left him empty and hollow inside. This had been a glaring example of what would happen if he gave up his games, or even let someone else make the rules.

Slowly, almost immeasurably slowly, Shikamaru lowered his arm down to his side, and his head lowered with it. God, he was tired. He wanted to sleep, but of course even that was denied him in his cursed state.

God, he needed something to take his mind away from him! Booze, drugs, cigarettes, sleep, anything- but nothing would work on him, not now. Jesus, why couldn't the bomb have just taken his legs and left him to destroy his mind on his parent's couch until he killed himself with consumption? Then he wouldn't have this curse of an ever-active mind, even in death. God, he was tired.

As if to mock his sleepless state, Shikamaru's body moved of its own free will, floating down so he hovered horizontally over the soft moss. Above him, the waning moon looked like a reaper's scythe silhouetted against the velvet black sky. Too tired to do anything else, he closed his eyes to block out the sight.

The silence of the clearing was deafening.

The stillness swirled around him like the motion of a boat in rough seas.

The cold burned him alive.

As Shikamaru lay suspended above the moss floor of the clearing, he became aware of someone crashing through the forest. Wrinkling his nose a little, he decided to ignore it. It was probably just a lost tourist or something, and it was impossible to find the clearing without prior knowledge of it anyway. Screwing his eyes shut more tightly, Shikamaru rolled onto his side and tried to avoid focusing on anything.

A few seconds later, Shikamaru sat up in surprise as the person making his way through the woods started on a path that would lead him directly to the clearing. With a frown, the phantom got to his feet. Who could it be? The only other person he'd shown this place to was most likely already on a bus down to Portland to catch a flight back to wherever he came from.

Whoever it was, he was making a beeline for the clearing, and approaching it fast. His eyes widening in surprise, Shikamaru took a few steps back from the center of the clearing as Neji exploded through the edge of the woods, chest heaving from exertion, and pointed the sharp tip of a dripping old fashioned umbrella at him.

"You!" He panted, stabbing the umbrella point in Shikamaru's direction. "I'm not… I'm not done with you!"

"Why… why are you…" Shikamaru gasped out, clenching his hands into fists to stop them from trembling.

"I'm here because you walked away from our game!" Neji exclaimed angrily. "Wasn't it you who told me to never leave a game of chess unfinished?"

"But it was finished!" Shikamaru said hotly, anger suddenly flashing in his eyes. "You bested me, the first to do so since I was alive and a child playing against my father; isn't that enough for you?"

"No!" Neji cried, grabbing something small and black from his pocket and throwing it at Shikamaru, who caught it reflexively with his telekinesis. "The game isn't over until the king is captured! Didn't you teach me that? Isn't that your motto?"

Glancing down at his open palm, Shikamaru found two halves of a broken black king floating there. The pieces clinked against each other and sank through his palm as the strain on his weakened powers was too great, dropping to the forest floor. Looking back up at Neji, Shikamaru saw that he was still breathing hard, but was also sporting a blush that had nothing to do with exertion.

Immediately, a smug smile found its way onto Shikamaru's face. The distraction was back on in full force. This was his element; this was his game. He could play like this.

Leaning down, Shikamaru made his hand corporeal enough to pick up the two broken halves of the chess piece, then tossed them back to Neji, who fumbled them, dropping the umbrella and almost dropping them in the process of catching them.

"Then consider it captured," he drawled, shoving his hands into his pockets. Inwardly, he winced at the energy he had expended. Four percent.

Neji's blush expanded, and Shikamaru found it amusing trying to guess the reason behind it. "That's a rather unorthodox way of doing things," he said with a delicate sniff.

"But effective," Shikamaru argued, taking a step closer. "And yet, that's not the reason why you're here."

"Isn't it?" Neji retorted, his eyes flashing with a delight almost indistinguishable from anger. Or an anger almost indistinguishable from delight.

"Of course not." Shikamaru took another step forward, delight seeping through his system when Neji mirrored him. "It's the middle of the night, you're tired and injured, and you're leaving tomorrow. You wouldn't come all the way out here just to toss a broken chess piece back and forth."

"Then what am I here for?" Neji practically hissed with unreadable eyes. "You're the genius; you tell me."

The unreadable nature of Neji's gaze should have given Shikamaru pause, but he was too glad to restart the game to notice, and he took another step forward. The thrill of the chase, the excitement of the game, started to grow in him again, and he smiled a little cruelly.

"You're here because something inside you, some part of you that you don't like to admit exists, spurs you forward- toward me. You're here to satisfy that subconscious urge, the urge to find me and fight me. Because it's the most fun you've had in ages."

"Not quite."

The words were spoken with assurance, but so quietly that Shikamaru almost wasn't sure of what he had heard. "What?"

Neji took another step forward and repeated himself. "That's not quite right. I am here to find you, propelled by the part of me I've hidden all my life, but you're wrong about everything else."

The air around Shikamaru seemed to freeze, sucking the insubstantial breath from his lungs. "That's… that's impossible. I know I'm right! You... you have to be lying!"

"I'm not lying," Neji said steadily, his mood becoming visibly more subdued, almost broken. "You're projecting, Shikamaru. It's you who needs me to fight against. Because it's the most fun _you've_ had in ages."

The frozen air around Shikamaru shattered, impaling him with a thousand tiny shards of ice and leaving him speechless. "That's… You…"

"Tell me I'm wrong!" Neji suddenly cried, his eyes turning frantic. "Tell me I'm crazy, tell me I'm overthinking things, tell me anything! Just… tell me I'm not right. That all this actually meant something, and wasn't just for the sake of your twisted enjoyment."

But Shikamaru couldn't say anything. Because Neji was right.

When no response came from Shikamaru, Neji turned his gaze away from the phantom, a hand coming up to cover his mouth and muffle what sounded like a sob.

"Oh, God," he gasped, his breathing starting to become irregular. "Was any of it real?"

Shikamaru still couldn't say anything. His heart, which hadn't beat in over fifty years, felt like it was trying to escape from the deathly grip squeezing it and make up for all the years of lying still, frozen in time, all at once. After several more stunned, silent moments passed, Neji turned his back to the phantom, picking up his umbrella and laying a hand against the smooth bark of a birch tree at the edge of the clearing.

"Never mind," he said quietly, not bothering to turn back to look at Shikamaru as he spoke. "It… it doesn't matter anymore. I shouldn't have come." A pause, heavily laden with things left unsaid, filled the clearing briefly, as if Neji was still waiting for Shikamaru to say something, anything. When nothing was forthcoming, he hunched his back ever so slightly against an invisible pain and stepped forward, away from the clearing, letting his hand trail away from the creamy bark of the birch tree. "Goodbye, Shikamaru."

As if in slow motion, Shikamaru watched Neji's fingers slip away from the birch tree. The air around him seemed thick, as if he was swimming in a vat of molasses, and he raised one hand up, reaching for Neji as he had reached for the moon. Just before the tips of Neji's fingers broke contact with the pale bark - _for forever,_ the sadistic innermost parts of Shikamaru's mind mocked him - he closed his hand almost instinctively, calling up a lightning fast shadow to bind Neji's hand to the tree.

Neji had taken several steps into denser vegetation at the border between the forest and the clearing, letting his fingers linger on the pale white bark of the slim birch tree, before the shadow bindings cut his movement short. Slowly, he turned back to face Shikamaru, fear and something that might have been hope mixing in equal parts in his eyes. He flicked his gaze pointedly at the shadows holding him to the tree, then back to Shikamaru with an eyebrow raised. The bravado of the move was careful, calculated even, shadowing the raw emotion in his gaze and seeming to ask, _Well?_

 _Well, what?_ Shikamaru's mind growled back at Neji, but the phantom kept his mouth clamped shut and the words caught inside his throat. Not knowing what else to do, he squeezed his fist tighter, and the shadows started to crawl up Neji's arm.

Neji watched the shadows with a mixture of fascination and fear, but fear won over when the shadows crawled past his wrist. A scared warning in his eyes, he swung his gaze up to clash with Shikamaru's unresponsive one.

"Let me go, Shikamaru," he warned, the authority in his voice somewhat belayed by the fear in his eyes. "If you don't have anything to say, let me go."

 _But I do have something to say._ He just didn't know how to say it. _Was any of it real?_ Neji had asked, but Shikamaru didn't understand how it couldn't be. A game was as real as warfare, just had fewer consequences. After all, a game of chess and a battle both ended with a winner and a loser; less people just died during a game of chess. But how could he explain this to the stubborn person in front of him, whose only use for games was meaningless entertainment?

Taking a hesitating step forward, Shikamaru released his iron grip on his voice and opened his mouth, moistening his lips with a dry tongue that seemed to do nothing. For a few seconds, nothing came out, but he tried again and managed to form a full thought. "After… after being dead for as long as I have, you come to… appreciate the… ephemerality of things, especially the human lifespan. And in… appreciating that ephemerality, that brevity, you learn to take what amusement you can before… before it's too late."

The words had the opposite effect from what Shikamaru intended, and Neji tried to jerk his hand free from the tree trunk, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Cut the bullshit metaphors, Shikamaru. They won't work on me anymore. Either tell me straight or just let me leave."

"I wasn't-" Shikamaru started, then stopped, shaking his head slightly. He wouldn't be getting through to Neji in that vein when he was in this kind of mood. Besides, the strain of the shadow was starting to wear on his already depleted stocks of energy. He needed to switch tactics.

Three percent.

Without any warning, Shikamaru dismissed the shadow holding Neji to the tree, leaving him off balance from the unexpected release of the pressure he had been fighting against. Stumbling forward a little, Neji broke eye contact with Shikamaru as he sought to regain his lost balance, which was exactly what the phantom had been waiting for.

When Neji was leaned over, his arms held out in front of him for balance, Shikamaru swept across the clearing to where Neji stood teetering, feeling shadows bleed along the contours of his arms and down the backs of his hands and fingers. They looked, in all their dark fanning glory, like feathers of black flame, transforming his arms into wings. Neji sensed him coming and looked up from his recovering stagger, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the speeding bullet that was Shikamaru.

Shadows dripping from his fingers, Shikamaru slammed into Neji, pinning him to the tree with not his shadows, but with the weight of his semi-corporeal body. Shock and more than a little fear flickered in Neji's eyes as Shikamaru seized his face in his hands, forcing him to look the phantom directly in the eye.

"You speak of reality as if you have no concept of where you stand in it," he hissed, bringing his face in close to Neji's. "And of metaphors as if you don't use them yourself! 'Was any of it real?' You ask. Well, what world have you fucking been living in for it not to be real?"

"I… I…" Neji stuttered, his gaze becoming unfocused due to Shikamaru's closeness, then suddenly snapping back into focus as he tried unsuccessfully to push the phantom away. "I've been living in the world of harsh reality, where people lie to each other for their own sadistic enjoyment!"

"Lie?" Shikamaru asked incredulously, a sudden anger at Neji's rejection prompting him to seize both of his wrists and pin them against the tree above his head. "Everything I told you, every secret I shared, and you have the audacity to accuse me of lying? I have been nothing but open with you, sharing my past, even my death, all the while I've had to pry you open with a hatchet for every scrap of information! And you dare to say that I lied to you? I would have more grounds to accuse you of lying to me!"

The sudden angry tirade had shocked Neji into silence, but the last part of it drew another angry response from him, and he thrashed against Shikamaru's uncompromising grip. "How dare you accuse me of lying! _I'm_ the victim in this situation!"

"By what logic?" Shikamaru cried, pushing the struggling Neji harder against the tree. "You're the one who's been leading me on for a week! If anything, I'm the victim! I'm the one who's going to be left, suffering, when you go riding off into the sunset! Getting you to open up has torn open wounds I'd healed long ago, but you haven't lost anything, have you? You can just leave and live your life happily without ever having to think of me again!"

"Well obviously I fucking can't!" Neji almost screamed, the beginnings of tears starting to prickle in his eyes. "I'm here, aren't I?"

The unexpected confession froze both Shikamaru and Neji as it resounded through the air. The shadows dripping from Shikamaru's hands dissolved into smoke and drifted away on the cool breeze, and his suddenly incorporeal hands passed through Neji's wrists to rest gently outside the bark of the tree. Even though his hands were no longer captive, Neji left them where they were, leaning his head back against the tree trunk with a sigh and unknowingly showing off the ring of bruises around his neck.

"I'm here..." Neji repeated more softly, almost to himself. "I'm here because you fucking messed me up."

"And I… I'm here because you messed me up," Shikamaru countered more gently, all trace of accusation gone from his voice.

Neji gave a sad little smile, his chin lifting the slightest bit in a gesture almost reminiscent of defiance. "Well, who's fault was that?"

"Mostly mine," he admitted.

Shikamaru let his head fall forward until his insubstantial forehead brushed against Neji's solid one. He'd released the shadows and the brief stint of semi-corporeality fairly quickly, but it still had had a fairly sizable impact on his energy reserves. Two percent.

Shifting uncomfortably in the silence, Neji broke it by venturing a question. "If you don't mind me asking, how many… how many people have played games with, like you played with me?"

Shikamaru felt his face close off slightly at the question. He knew Neji wouldn't like the answer, but he wasn't about to lie to him.

"Too many to count," he replied tiredly, and Neji's eyes widened a little, something akin to betrayal hiding deep within the gaze. "But," Shikamaru hastily continued, trying to dispel the new emotion in Neji's eyes, "most people require very different gameplay. They were mostly one-sided games, games of observation or gambling. It's hard to play a game of chess with someone who can't see you." He tried to lighten the confession with a smile, but the hurt still reflected in Neji's eyes.

"So, was I just one of hundreds to you? Thousands, even?"

Shikamaru shook his head, still tracking the shadows of betrayal in the contours of Neji's face. "You were never like the others, the ones whose names I never even bothered to learn. You were and are unique; you, I wanted to play with most of all."

"Please," Neji snorted, turning his head to the side so he didn't have to meet Shikamaru's gaze. "You don't care about me. You just need someone to fight against."

"Do I?" Shikamaru couldn't deny that the accusation sparked a little anger, but it was one easily contained. He made the front of his body corporeal and pressed against Neji without warning, pinning him to the tree.

The move, so unexpected to Neji, made him snap his head back front, only to find his mouth less than an inch away from Shikamaru's and their noses almost touching.

"Don't think I'm so easy," Shikamaru growled huskily.

Red started to flame up Neji's cheekbones and he tried to hide the blush by turning away again, but before he could, Shikamaru caught his chin and gave one last glance into his eyes to determine the potential consequences of his actions before closing the remaining distance between them.

Like before, Neji melted at the touch of Shikamaru's lips, losing control over his body as his eyelids started to flutter to half mast, then closed. His hands, which had been resting against the tree trunk over his head, came trailing down to drag through Shikamaru's hair before settling at the back of his neck. Halfway mirroring his movement, Shikamaru brought one hand up to delve between the damp hair sticking to Neji's neck and his skin, resting his thumb on Neji's blush-stained cheekbone and cradling his jaw in his palm. Pressing his advantage, Shikamaru used that hand to pull Neji closer and angle his face into a better position to deepen the kiss.

The slight chaste hesitation on Neji's part evaporated when Shikamaru tilted his face up with his thumb and urged his mouth open. With a small mewling gasp, Neji complied, opening his mouth and pushing up onto his tiptoes to pull his body closer to Shikamaru's, heating him with a warmth that made the chill breeze all but disappear. Shadows started to wind about the pair without Shikamaru's bidding, but they only served to fan the passionate flames sparking between them.

Deliberately, Shikamaru pulled back with a gasp, breaking contact with Neji almost entirely. Back at the Hokage, this had been the point when his mind had woken up and fought against the phantom, and he was curious to see if the same thing would happen again. It came as a pleasant, but not altogether surprising, development when Neji's eyes snapped open and a sound ripped from his throat more akin to a seductive growl than an angry roar. A confident fire Shikamaru had never seen before flashing in his gaze, Neji came after the retreating phantom, ripping off his suit jacket and throwing it into the low branches of the birch tree before grabbing the back of Shikamaru's neck and pulling him forward into the first kiss he had initiated. The unexpected force with which he pressed against Shikamaru drove him back several steps, and he felt a smirk pull up the corners of his mouth. Now _this_ was fun.

With a sudden fervor, Shikamaru slammed Neji back against the tree with enough force to make him gasp into their conjoined mouths, asserting his dominance over the boy. But Neji was having none of that and pushed back almost violently against the phantom, knocking him off his feet and sending him tumbling to the ground. The move caught Shikamaru off guard slightly and he almost frowned a little in worry that he was being rejected, but Neji wasn't far behind him, following him down in an awkward tangle of limbs. Their mouths rested an inch away from each other's as their eyes connected, a smug confidence radiating out from Neji's eyes into Shikamaru's slightly but pleasantly surprised gaze before he kissed the phantom again, but gentler this time.

Shikamaru allowed the new pace for a few seconds, enjoying the feeling of Neji's smoldering lips and letting the slow burn consume him before shaking his mind awake and retaking control of the kiss and Neji. For a few moments, he dominated the kiss from below, making Neji come to him, before he flipped the two of them over, reversing their positions. With the better leverage of his new position, Shikamaru was able to completely dominate Neji, keeping him pinned to the ground even when he made a valiant effort to reverse their positions once more.

Almost gleefully, Shikamaru resumed his attack on Neji's mouth, kissing him with more force and keeping him pinned against the ground with the weight of his now completely corporeal body. He could feel the dampness of the waterlogged moss and knew it had to be soaking through Neji's clothes and making him uncomfortable, but he couldn't bring himself to care, even when he felt the extra strain of full corporeality drain his spectral battery even more dangerously low than it already was.

One percent.

Suddenly, there was a dampness in Neji's face that didn't come from the moss, and he stopped moving, lying still beneath the phantom. Confused, Shikamaru pulled back to look at Neji's expression, and as soon he broke the kiss, Neji turned his head to the side, hiding his eyes but not the tears trailing down his cheeks.

"See? I was right," he whispered quietly, but Shikamaru still heard the catch in his voice. "You don't need me. You just need someone to fight against."

For the first time since landing on the ground, Shikamaru looked down at Neji and realized the position he had trapped him in. Neji was laying flat against the ground, and Shikamaru found himself suspended over the top of him, straddling his hips and holding him down with the weight of his solid body. Like before against the tree, he had trapped Neji's wrists with his hands and forced them above his head, but now, with his head turned to the side because he couldn't hide his face in his hands, it felt indecent to Shikamaru, like he was taking advantage of Neji. Like all he really did need was someone to push against him, no matter the circumstance.

As soon as that thought hit him, Shikamaru jerked away from Neji as if he'd been burned. He landed on his haunches several feet away, far enough that he could no longer touch Neji, but close enough to see the play of emotions across his face, starting with the mounting hurt as Shikamaru's actions provided enough proof to him to prove him right.

 _You're wrong,_ something inside Shikamaru yearned to cry out, but he knew it wouldn't make any difference. Neji would only be convinced by actions, and he'd unthinkingly taken exactly the wrong one. The only way to change Neji's mind would be with an even greater action, but he didn't know what or even how to do it. For all he knew, Neji could be right; he could a monster that feasted on the corpses of human emotions now that his own were dead. But, then again, Shikamaru already knew that.

Slowly, avoiding looking Shikamaru in the eye, Neji pushed himself up on his elbows, lifting his face to the sky and letting his loose hair trail down to touch the damp moss. He didn't bother even trying to hide the tears that were falling faster now, and Shikamaru suddenly found himself wondering why. What was driving his fairy-boy's sorrow?

The sudden possessive pet name gave Shikamaru pause, almost freezing his thoughts in place as he remembered the time he'd given Neji that nickname. Though he hadn't realized it then, that had been when his goal had changed, from wanting to open Neji up and learn everything about him to wanting something more tangible: Neji himself. The realization broke the frozen fog that had descended over Shikamaru, and he looked over just in time to see Neji raise one hand to the moon, as if he could command it to his side with only his outstretched fingers.

The unexpected parallel to his own earlier movement made Shikamaru suddenly realize exactly how alike he and Neji were. They were both alone, both yearning, and both confined, Shikamaru by death and Neji by something he had yet to disclose to the phantom. It made Shikamaru suddenly want to hold Neji as he cried and assure him that everything would be alright. The strangely paternal instinct flowed unchecked though Shikamaru's veins, and he found himself reaching for Neji before he knew what he was doing.

With a soft sigh, Neji allowed his arm to drop back to the ground, and Shikamaru froze in his forward movement as his mind caught up to his body. Neji let his eyelids flutter closed as a fresh tear leaked from the corner of each eye and made its way down his already damp cheeks. Recalculating his forward momentum, Shikamaru changed his course slightly, pulling the cuff of his army jacket over the heel of his palm so he could wipe away the tears on Neji's cheeks.

His army jacket?

Pausing in his endeavor, Shikamaru glanced down at himself to discover that his outfit, and indeed his whole body, had reverted to the way it had been when he had died without his direct command. A soft smile pulling up the corners of his lips, Shikamaru resumed reaching forward until the cuff of his jacket brushed against Neji's cheek.

Neji's eyes immediately popped open at the first brush of rough fabric, his eyes focusing on Shikamaru's face through waterlogged eyelashes. He struggled into an upright sitting position, trying to push the phantom away at the same time, but Shikamaru caught his hand and stilled it gently while his other hand kept wiping away Neji's tears. As if giving up once and for all, Neji let his head slump forward, and Shikamaru gently pulled him against his chest, enveloping him in arms that were fast losing corporeality. A sense of urgent dread took over Shikamaru; he didn't have much juice left, so whatever he wanted to happen had to happen fast, before he lost consciousness.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly, surprising himself with the ease of the confession.

Neji abruptly stiffened in his arms, and soft but harsh laugh escaped him, muffled against Shikamaru's jacket. "For what?" He asked dully, as if not expecting an answer.

 _For everything,_ Shikamaru almost said, but he wasn't about to lie to Neji. He wasn't sorry for everything; in fact, he wasn't sorry for most of what he'd done. Because, as Neji had said, it had been the most fun he'd had in a long time.

"For making you cry," he said instead, surprised with how well it fit with the moment.

Neji gave one more gasping sob before his tears dried up, but he still kept his face hidden in the folds of Shikamaru's jacket. "I'm sure you bloody well are," he sniffed with false distain, his words hard to make out through the fabric covering his face.

But Shikamaru really was sorry, an emotion he didn't often feel. Things he'd done deliberately he never felt sorry for - that was a personal philosophy of his - and he hardly ever did things undeliberately, so apologeticness was a fairly rare emotion in the phantom's heart. But the things he'd done with Neji, especially the things he'd done that night, had all been… well, perhaps 'accidental' wasn't quite the right word for it, but it was a damn sight closer than deliberate.

Drawing in a large, shaky breath, Neji disentangled himself from the folds of Shikamaru's jacket and leaned back, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes, as if he was trying to force the tears back, to deny that they had ever existed. A pang went through Shikamaru's unbeating heart at the sight; to him, it felt like any emotion Neji let him witness was too precious to deny the existence of.

In an explosive burst, Neji released the breath he had been holding, dropping his hands from his eyes at the same time. The skin around his eyes was puffy and tinged with pink, and a bright red spot had started blossoming on the tip of his nose. Projecting an annoyed air to cover up his insecurity, Neji swiped an almost angry hand under his nose to wipe away the liquid dripping there, muttering something about how much of a mess he must look like.

When Neji's hand dropped once again into his lap, Shikamaru found his gaze drawn to the slowly darkening bruises on Neji's throat. They were an unidentifiable color now under the scant moonlight, but Shikamaru knew that by the time the sun rose, its rays would reveal an impressive mass of purple and green stretching the entire way around his throat and passing dangerously close to his Adam's apple. The only reason he was still able to talk now was the fact that Sasuke had grabbed him from behind rather than the front, so most of the pressure had been concentrated at the sides of his neck rather than directly over his vocal chords. In fact, Shikamaru had guessed with his limited knowledge of medical science, the only reason Neji had passed out at all, even though it was only for a few seconds, had been because Sasuke had temporarily cut off the flow of blood to his brain, not the flow of oxygen into his lungs. Shikamaru had enough basic medical knowledge to know that asphyxiation due to choking would have taken a significantly longer time.

But the physical presence of the bruises sparked something more than simple scientific observation in Shikamaru. They reminded him, suddenly, of his own words on the ephemerality of life: _After being dead for as long as I have, you come to appreciate the ephemerality of things, especially the human lifespan. And in appreciating that ephemerality, that brevity, you learn to take what amusement you can before it's too late._

Because life could be truly brief… and fragile.

Shikamaru clenched his hands into fists to stop their trembling. He suddenly felt very old and still in the face of Neji's vibrant tears. It was like looking into a mirror reminiscent of his youth and life, while his own unchanging body felt the strain of passing years: a Dorian Grey-esque perversion. Shikamaru felt a sudden sense of responsibility for the lines on Neji's face he hadn't noticed when he'd first met the boy.

Unthinkingly, Shikamaru reached forward again to trace one of those new lines, only to have his hand pass right through Neji's cheek, and he realized that his body, unable to find the energy to hold full corporeality, had let it go without him noticing. The sense of urgency from before retook Shikamaru, but with even greater force this time; he had something to say, and he wasn't going to let himself go to sleep without saying it.

Dragging up the very last scraps of his strength, Shikamaru made his right hand corporeal and grabbed onto Neji's own hand, stilling it from making another coarse swipe across his face.

With a frown carefully placed on his for false bravado, Neji tried to pull his hand away, but Shikamaru refused to relinquish it. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to pull free from the phantom's grip, Neji sighed and used his other hand to perform that final swipe under his nose before sniffing one last time and fixing Shikamaru with his gaze, hurting but proud.

"You've made it clear that you've already gotten what you wanted from me, so why can't you just let me go?"

The gaze piercing into Shikamaru's eyes was the clearest window into Neji's soul he had gotten yet, and a sudden laugh bubbled to the surface of the still lake of his emotions, threatening to spill over into the night air.

"You just wanted to be the one to walk away! That's the reason you came after me tonight!" Shikamaru chuckled lightly, and Neji's eyes widened in astonishment and a slightly affronted fear.

"That's not true at all!" Neji snapped back, affronted by the accusation. He tried even harder to tug his hand away, but Shikamaru kept it caught in a grip as strong as a vice.

"It's true and you know it, Neji," Shikamaru rebuked. "Don't argue with me. I don't have much time left."

Something in Shikamaru's voice must have alerted Neji to his urgency, for he stopped struggling and regarded the phantom more closely.

"Time?" He asked slowly, as if turning the notion over in his mind to determine the definition of the word itself.

Gritting his teeth from the effort he was spending, Shikamaru ignored the single-word question in favor of pursuing his own goal. His hand tightened almost unconsciously over Neji's fingers, squeezing them together in a way that had to be painful, but the young Hyuuga gave no complaint, or even a sign that he felt any pain.

"You may have wanted to be the one to leave, but I won't let you," Shikamaru said abruptly, fixing his gaze squarely on Neji's. "I'm not done with you yet."

"Not done with me?" Neji asked almost incredulously, a little hope masquerading as anger darting through his eyes. "How? Haven't you won your game? Didn't you accomplish your goal?"

"Not quite." Shikamaru leaned forward in a way that had Neji mirroring his movement as if they were magnetized. "I got you to open up, yes, but what I really wanted to do was find out the _why_ behind it all: why you grew your shell, why you outwardly scorn physical contact but inwardly yearn for it, what makes you the man you are today. You see," he added with a soft smile after seeing Neji's shell-shocked expression, "even the most promising set of data is useless to a scientist if he has no equations with which to compute it."

Neji made no visible reaction to being compared to a set of numeric data, only shook his head slightly and dropped his gaze from Shikamaru's in a gesture reminiscent of defeat. Cocking his head to the side, Shikamaru considered this unexpected reaction. What was causing Neji's behavior? Could it be the same thing that had caused his shell in the first place?

As if to prove Shikamaru right in his assumption, Neji sighed and said, "I… I wouldn't hold your breath for that. There are some things I can't ever talk about, and not by my own rules. The Hyuuga family is very strict."

Shikamaru heard a lifetime of hidden hurt and fear ring in those six words, and it made his jaw tighten in anger. No one - no one! - had to right to oppress _his_ fairy-boy! The hand not holding onto Neji's clenched into a fist of its own accord as Shikamaru beheld the shift in Neji's downcast gaze at his silence. At that moment, he made a silent vow to himself: that he would find the source of Neji's hidden pain and eradicate it. He knew it was a foolish vow, but that's why he made it; sometimes, to be human, you had to be a fool.

Spending the last of his already depleted energy, Shikamaru made his left hand corporeal as well and used it to tilt Neji's face up. Locking eyes with him, Shikamaru said, "I will learn everything there is to learn about you, Neji, even if it destroys both of us in the process. Because then, we can rebuild each other."

Neji's breath caught and he made as if to speak, but Shikamaru wasn't done yet. He silenced Neji with a finger across his mouth and continued his declaration.

"I will follow you wherever you go and find out, not just what makes you tick, but why it makes you tick. And," he added with a wry tilt to his lips, "not just because it's the most fun I've had in ages. Because _I want to_."

Neji, his eyes floating in and out of crystal focus and staring at fantasy, spoke from behind Shikamaru's finger, brushing his lips against the solitary barrier. "But.. But you can't leave Konoha-"

"I will follow you to the ends of the earth and forever," Shikamaru swore.

That was the final straw. Neji, his mouth still open from his interrupted sentence, gave a single gasp, as soft as the cry of a newborn kitten, and leaned in towards Shikamaru. The phantom mirrored his forward movement, and together, they closed the distance between them and let their mouths touch delicately.

This time, Shikamaru was content to let the kiss stay slow and gentle, and he let Neji take the lead. It was nothing like before, all soft edges and warmth rather than hard ridges and blazing heat, full of sweet promises for an uncertain future, and Shikamaru reveled in it. Neji reached a hand up to rest on Shikamaru's cheek, and he smiled, feeling Neji smile back despite his still-puffy eyes.

But suddenly…

The world started swirling around Shikamaru, and an absolute exhaustion overtook him…

His thoughts were disjointed, fractioning, but he didn't - couldn't - care…

And then…

Zero percent. Powering off.

The world around Shikamaru disappeared until it was just him and Neji, and then that was gone too. Slowly, he pitched forward until he hit what he assumed was the ground, but he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything; his mind was disconnected from his body, and all he knew was that he was tired… Oh, so tired… And the ground, even though he couldn't feel it, even though he couldn't even interact with it, seemed so, so inviting…

And then, for the first time in over fifty years, Shikamaru slept.

It had been with a distinct disconnection from reality that Neji had watched Shikamaru's eyes close and felt whatever soul was left in his insubstantial body flee to a place he couldn't follow. A sound like a soft sigh escaping his lips, he folded forward through Neji, causing a swooping sensation in the depths of his stomach as the phantom passed through his torso and rested, hovering over the ground, in the same space his own body was occupying.

Carefully disentangling himself from the unconscious and incorporeal phantom, Neji stood up, looking down at his hands as he pushed himself to his feet, then cocked his head to the side as he looked back down at Shikamaru. In the time he'd looked away, only the few seconds necessary for him to stand, Shikamaru's form had started to blur, half dissolving in front of his very eyes. The thick army jacket that been conjured up by his distress flaked off into shards of darkness that dispersed into the shadows drawing up around him like a protective blanket. For a few seconds, the shadows covered him entirely, like a shroud for the dead, but they soon cleared, revealing a much younger version of Shikamaru, younger than Neji had ever seen him.

He looked to be about ten or eleven, and a youthful innocence rested about him in place of the thick shadows that seemed to be ever present all around him, particularly in his eyes. Neji settled down onto his haunches to better watch the flickering movement of Shikamaru's eyes behind his eyelids.

This young face of Shikamaru held small recognizable aspects - the sharp angles of his cheek and jawbones, the unmistakably unique arch of his eyebrows - but the peace there was utterly alien to Neji. This was the face Shikamaru had worn before his childhood had flown away on wings of gold, leaving only shadows behind, before he had been forced to live through the horrors that had been the Great Depression and World War 2. This was a Shikamaru Neji didn't know, but this was the Shikamaru he wanted to know.

Before he knew what he was doing, Neji had dropped to his knees and reached forward to brush a soft lock of hair away from Shikamaru's brow, only to have his fingers pass right through it.

Right. Shikamaru was dead. Had been for fifty years.

Neji hastily stood and moved away from the motionless ghost on the ground. How he'd allowed himself to loose control like that, to forget that Shikamaru wasn't a living, breathing human like him, he didn't know, but the slip scared him. He couldn't afford to mess up like that in front of his uncle or any of the other Hyuugas.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Neji made his way to the birch tree he'd tossed his jacket in earlier. As he grabbed it, he spared a few seconds for wry laughter at himself and his situation. His clothes were wet from sitting on the moss, his hair was a mess, he was cold and damp and generally uncomfortable and unkempt, and he didn't even care. It was a far cry from the spotless appearance he'd brought with him to Konoha.

Neji shrugged his jacket on, then gathered his hair into a bundle in preparation for tying it back into his usual ponytail, only to find out that he didn't have an elastic. With another wry laugh, Neji twisted the bundle of hair into a thick rope and pulled it up into a bun at the back of his neck, tucking the ends up under the bun to make it stay. It had been a long time since he'd worn his hair this way, he mused as he picked up the umbrella from where he'd dropped it earlier. This town must be rubbing off on him in more ways than he'd realized.

Just as Neji was about to step from the clearing once and for all, Shikamaru's earlier accusation jumped into his mind: _You just wanted to be the one to walk away! That's the reason you came after me tonight!_

Abruptly, Neji stilled, his head turned deliberately downwards to avoid looking at Shikamaru's unconscious childlike form. He'd denied it at the time, but it was true; he'd wanted to regain control of the situation, even if only unconsciously, and he'd thought he could do that by being the one to walk away. Well, now he had that chance: he could walk away right now, and Shikamaru wouldn't be able to follow him.

He wasn't sure if the prospect made him glad, or lonelier than he could imagine.

Steeling himself, Neji gripped the handle of the umbrella tighter for balance and started to take another step away from the clearing, but was stopped when the umbrella changed once more into the form of an enchanted sword. It felt heavy in Neji's grip, wet with the blood of the dragon he'd fought but still shining with truth. For a brief second, the clearing disappeared around Neji, and he was on a hill next to the dragon's cave. His jacket was gone, replaced by shining, blood-spattered armor, and the weight at the back of his neck was caused by, not a bun, but a feathered helm. All of this flashed through Neji's senses in the briefest of instants, accompanied by one thought: _The dragon is not yet slain._

And then Neji blinked and it all disappeared; he was standing at the edge of a clearing in wet clothes and holding an umbrella. The vision was gone, but the feelings it evoked remained, causing his hand to tremble around the handle of the umbrella. Unwillingly, he found his gaze drawn backwards, to the form of the unconscious ghost in the center of the clearing.

Shikamaru had curled up on his side facing Neji, his small arms pressed up tight to his chest. He looked, with his tiny form dwarfed by the oversized shirt of the size he had worn in his early twenties, like a small angel, come from heaven to lie down on the earth. The look on his face was peaceful, more peaceful than Neji had ever seen it, giving him an aura of serenity and youthful purity.

Unable to help himself, Neji turned completely back and set down his umbrella. With the air of youth and purity he was exuding, Shikamaru reminded Neji a little bit of Hinata. They were both unspoiled by life, but delicate, like a single breath of foul air could turn them sour. Neji had been formed into the creature he was now by the pressures of the Hyuuga family, and he was fighting to let Hinata keep her innocence for as long as possible so she wouldn't grow up to be like him. Likewise, he felt like this tiny creature before him was deserving of protection, of preservation from the horrors he would experience in his life.

But he already had experienced them. Shikamaru had lived and persevered and died already, and no amount of protection Neji could give him now would make any difference. This little angel, this fey-child slumbering on the forest floor, was destined to face hardships Neji could only dream about and shudder, and he couldn't do anything about it. The abject hopelessness of it made Neji's throat clench, and he looked down briefly to prevent a fresh round of tears prickling the corners of his eyes.

Really, what was with him tonight, crying at the slightest provocation? It was a shameful behavior, really, and he'd never get away with it once he was back in the den of inquisition, so to speak. He'd have to be more careful. There was, after all, a reason why he'd grown his shell in the first place.

Wiping his eyes to make sure no rebellious tears lingered there, Neji looked up again, only to find that his feet had taken him, without his direction or consent, to the center of the clearing, where Shikamaru lay. His breath caught on his throat, and Neji was struck again by much Shikamaru reminded him of Hinata. Instinctively, Neji dropped into a crouch and leaned forward to press his lips against Shikamaru's forehead in the same manner he had kissed Hinata earlier that night, forgetting for a moment that Shikamaru was dead and he would pass right through him.

Except he didn't.

The skin on Shikamaru's forehead didn't exactly feel like flesh, but it was more solid than the insubstantial mist his form had taken when Neji had touched him earlier. The closest thing Neji could compare it to was tightly spun spider silk; it was strong, not letting Neji pass through its surface, but delicate at the same time, like a gossamer fabric.

Surprised, Neji leaned back, and Shikamaru shifted in his sleep, uncurling a little bit, tension draining from his limbs. A small hand reached for Neji's, and he froze when Shikamaru laced fingers through his. The fingers were less substantial than his forehead, but they still held enough substance to press lightly against Neji's hand, and when he pulled away, they gave up their corporeality as easily and softly as a sigh, slipping through him to fall gently against the moss.

Neji forced himself to stand up and turn his back to the fey-child sleeping before him. He was leaving, there was no way around that; he had duties and responsibilities that stretched far beyond the bounties of Konoha, to places where Shikamaru couldn't follow. And it was just as well; as Shikamaru had said, if they continued as they had been, they were bound to tear each other apart, something Neji was sure he could recover from - he was still alive, after all, and had a certain degree of emotional flexibility because of that - but Shikamaru, a static creature, wouldn't be able to. Neji felt the biggest difference between himself and Shikamaru was the phantom's sadistic streak; he'd leave a trail of suffering behind him, even going as far as to rip himself apart, whereas Neji operated with a little more care of his surroundings.

Perhaps leaving Shikamaru would also mean leaving the memories of their time together behind, but Neji doubted it. Somehow, he knew the impressions of shadows, of chess and riddles and games, of warm hands and even warmer lips, would never wholly leave him, but perhaps he could become stronger because of it.

With a deep breath, Neji squared his shoulders. He still had a lot to do: travel arrangements to make, both for transportation to the airport and the flight itself, a note to leave for Sasuke so he would know why his and Hinata's rooms would be suspiciously empty the next morning, the work he'd been neglecting for a week- and all of it to be done before sunrise. He probably wouldn't get any sleep that night, but that didn't matter; he doubted if his mind would let him sleep anyway.

Neji rested his hand against the trunk of the birch tree as he surveyed the dark forest ahead of him, half expecting a thin shadow to creep up the bark and pin his hand to the tree again. When nothing happened, he wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or relieved. He removed his hand from the bark just as Shikamaru's words rose, unbidden, to his mind.

 _I will follow you to the ends of the earth and forever_.

But Neji only shook his head with a smile. "I appreciate the offer, but you've got your own issues to sort out. Goodbye, Shikamaru. I think… I think I'll miss you."

With a stronger spring in his step, Neji strode out from the clearing and away from the ghost sleeping in its center.


	38. Cards and Deceit

And another chapter done! The end is so close, I can almost taste it!

Thanks so much to Falainakorna for your wonderful review! I'm so glad you're enjoying my story! As for your predictions... well, you could be right, but it would ruin the surprise if I told you, now wouldn't it?

Happy reading everyone! Addi out!

* * *

Naruto was still passed out cold on the bed when Sasuke woke up the next morning with a headache. The light from outside was slanting through the window with the harsh angle of an almost-noon sun, and it landed on Naruto's blond head with delicate playful fingers, reminding Sasuke of the golden halo he had worn the day before.

Careful not to waken the sleeping angel beside him, Sasuke slipped out of bed, fixing the sheet behind him, and quietly left the room. Once the door had clicked shut, he moved to the suite bathroom, and, after checking that neither Hinata for Neji were already occupying it, entered it and locked the door behind him.

The mirror above the sink was placed in the perfect position to capture Sasuke's reflection as soon he flipped the light switch on, presenting him with a forceful image of his own face. There were dark circles under his eyes from weeks of late nights and restless sleep and his cheeks had started to take on a yellowish, sallow tinge from malnutrition, but that was nothing compared to the injury over his left eye, which had scabbed over and was starting to look slightly inflamed. With a grimace, Sasuke looked away from the mirror and pulled his shirt - God, he really had to break this habit of sleeping in his clothes - over his head, feeling the strain of sore muscles all down his back and sides. A warm shower and a hot meal, he figured, would do him a world of good.

* * *

An hour, two showers, a disastrous adventure with a razor, a large hot breakfast, courtesy of Sakura, and a piece of gauze, also courtesy of Sakura, taped to his forehead wound, which had reopened after his second shower, later, Sasuke finally make it back to his room to find Naruto still out cold in the middle of his bed. Shaking his head as he smiled to himself, Sasuke sat down in the swivel chair at the desk and settled back to watch him sleep.

And immediately got bored. _How did Naruto do this night after night?_ He wondered in curious amazement, spinning around in his chair like a child. Though it probably didn't help that Naruto didn't breathe, so watching him was like watching a corpse.

Idly, Sasuke drummed his fingers against the desktop, looking for something to amuse himself with until Naruto woke. His phone was out of the question - it would remain permanently off until he was good and ready to talk to his parents again - but perhaps something already in the room could amuse him. There was an antique mason jar full of pens - why had he never noticed them before? - on the back left corner of the desk, but no paper or anything else to use them on. Maybe there was some stationary or something in a drawer somewhere, he figured, and started opening them and peering inside.

As Sasuke was feeling around the dark recesses of the bottom of the three drawers, it suddenly struck him that he hadn't explored the room very well, even though he'd been calling it home for over a month now. He felt a little ashamed of the fact; how could he have been sleeping somewhere for that long and never even considered checking the drawers of the desk?

To his disappointment, there was no paper in the bottom drawer, or anything else for that matter. A cursory examination of the middle drawer revealed the same emptiness, so by the time Sasuke got to the top drawer, he was so disgruntled with the fruitless search that he didn't really look, only stuck his hand in, expecting to feel the same wood on the bottom of the drawer and nothing else.

The top drawer was less deep than the bottom two but just as long, and Sasuke's hand glided along the wooden planks making up the bottom almost to the back, then, suddenly, bumped up against something. Immediately reinterested, Sasuke peered into the dark shadows at the back of the drawer and was barely able to make out the shape of a small rectangular box. Upon pulling it out, he discovered that it was an ancient deck of Bicycle playing cards. Judging by the color and texture of the box, they had probably been forgotten years ago and lain untouched ever since.

Careful not to ruin the old, yellowing paper of the box, Sasuke opened it and slid the cards out. Someone had obviously cared for them well when they were in use, because while they were worn and slightly faded, not a single card was creased or torn. After separating out the two jokers, Sasuke counted the deck to make sure all the cards were there. Upon discovering that they were, and he smiled delightedly. He knew how to play three different kinds of solitaire; he was good to go.

* * *

Six games of solitaire, all of which Sasuke lost, eleven games of spider solitaire, all of which he won, and five and a half games of pyramid solitaire, which everyone knows is impossible to win, had passed before Sasuke heard stirring from the direction of the bed.

"Morning. Rough night?" He asked as he heard Naruto get up, but didn't look up from the cards on the desk.

"Far from it; it was wonderful. I haven't slept in over a hundred years, you know." Naruto came to stand directly behind Sasuke, but he didn't turn to look at him. This was the closest game he had played so far; he might actually have a chance of winning it. There were only three cards left in the pyramid, a five, a six, and a card still turned facedown, and two left in his hand. With bated breath, Sasuke flipped over the top card in his hand. It was a seven. Quickly, he picked up first the six, then the five, and piled them in the discard pile, then turned over the last card. A flamboyant jack stared back up at him. Sasuke's breath caught; could he really be this lucky? The last card in his hand was lying facedown on the table, and he flipped it over.

It was a king.

With a disappointed sigh, Sasuke swept the cards together and started to shuffle them. The winning of a game of pyramids solitaire, something he had never managed in his life thus far, would have to wait for another day.

The weight of a hand settled against Sasuke's shoulder. "What was that game? Can I play with you?"

"Not really." Sasuke squared up the deck of cards and placed it on the desk, then swung around in his swivel chair to face Naruto. A twinge of guilt wrenched through his stomach as he looked at the blond ghost's soft face, remembering the events of the night before, but he squashed it down. "It's a kind of solitaire. But I can teach it to you, if you want."

"Nah." Naruto shrugged and down on the arm of the chair, swinging his feet and kicking Sasuke playfully. "But I do want you to play something with me. Do you know how to play rummy?"

Sasuke wrinkled his nose. "Rummy? What even is that?"

"It's a card game, stupid," Naruto scoffed. "Didn't you have a grandmother or something to teach you old card games?"

"Not to my knowledge."

Naruto's eyes got wide in mocking horror. "No? Then you never learned how to play hearts? Bridge? _Cribbage?_ "

"What the hell is cribbage?"

Naruto waved a hand dismissively. "A card game, but we can't play it because you need a board."

A single eyebrow crawled up Sasuke's forehead. "Why do you need a board if it's a card game?"

"Because you keep track of points with pegs- oh, never mind. Anyway, can you play any real card games?"

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest defensively. "I can play old maid. And go fish."

Naruto's jaw almost dropped. "Those aren't real card games!"

"Yes they are!" Sasuke shoved Naruto off the arm of his chair. "And I can play bullshit, too."

"Bullshit?" Naruto looked offended by the very name. "What the hell kind of a name for a card game is that?"

"You've never heard of bullshit?"

"Why would I ask you if I- oh, never mind. Let's just play old maid. Do we have a joker?"

"We have two," Sasuke answered, grabbing one of the discarded jokers and shuffling it into the deck.

"Well, we only need one." Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hands and pulled him to his feet, then floated over to the bed, straightening the sheets with a flick of his wrist. "Come on; sit across from me. You can deal."

* * *

"Do you have any… fours?"

"Go fish."

"Dammit, Naruto!"

"Hey, don't be mad just because I'm winning!"

"You're not winning, you're cheating!" Sasuke glared at Naruto over his hand of cards.

Affronted, Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, but kept careful track of the cards in his hand at the same time so as not to flash their numbers to Sasuke. "I'm not cheating! You're just a sore loser."

Sasuke glowered, unable to refute the statement because of the truth behind it, and drew a card from the deck, depositing it in his hand. Naruto practically gleamed with smugness.

But, Sasuke argued with himself, he had a right to be a sore loser! He and Naruto had just finished four games of old maid, all of which had ended in the phantom's victory, before moving on to go fish, and so far, on almost every turn, Naruto had been able to successfully gain at least one card from Sasuke, while he had been sent fishing every time! There was no way he wasn't cheating!

"Hmmmm…" Naruto murmured cockily as he regarded his cards, causing Sasuke to grind his teeth in irritation. "What should I do? Let's see…. Do you have any… Kings?"

Glee shot through Sasuke. About to tell Naruto that no, he didn't have any Kings, he glanced down at his hand to see that the card he had just drawn, which he hadn't paid much attention to yet, was indeed a King. Swearing roughly, he threw the card at the smug Naruto.

"Take the damn thing!"

"Thank you," Naruto said in a singsong voice, deftly plucking the card from the air and adding it to his own hand. "Your turn."

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Sasuke looked down at his hand. He only had six cards left - three Jacks, a four, and two sevens - and no matches, while Naruto already had six. He'd asked before, but there was no harm in asking again.

"Do you have any Jacks?"

"Go fish!" Naruto sang in the face of Sasuke glower. "Well, you don't have to be so pissy about it."

"Hmph." Sasuke reached for the top card on the deck, and a smile broke out on his face when he saw what it was. "Jack," he proclaimed smugly, holding it up for Naruto's inspection, then collected the other three Jacks in his hand and slammed them down on the bedspread in a match.

Nodding at the match, Naruto glanced down at his own hand of five cards and made a face before asking again, "Got a King yet?"

Sasuke shook his head in response. "Go fish."

Wrinkling his nose a little, Naruto grabbed a card from the deck and placed it in his hand. With a sigh, he stretched and nodded back to Sasuke. "Your turn."

"I know it's my turn! You don't have to keep telling me!" Sasuke snapped, surveying his own limited options. "Got a seven?"

"I have two," Naruto answered, holding them out, and Sasuke looked up in surprise and amazement. "What? I told you I wasn't cheating. It was just lucky guesses, and you finally got one in."

"I guess," Sasuke said suspiciously as he took the cards, united them with the cards in his hand, and laid them down next to the Jacks.

His suspicions were confirmed when Naruto asked cheekily, "Got a four?"

Grimacing, Sasuke threw his last remaining card at Naruto. "And that's your victory again! How are you doing this?"

"Would you be too angry with me if I told you I could see the reflection of your cards in the window this whole time?"

Sasuke's mouth fell open. "Why, you little-!"

Unable to finish his sentence, Sasuke launched himself at the highly amused Naruto, and the pair fell off the bed in a jumble of live and spectral limbs.

"-cheating bastard!" He finally managed, and Naruto gave a crow of delight.

"I can't believe you never figured it out!" Naruto guffawed, teasing Sasuke by throwing bits of his body in and out of corporeality just as he was about to grab them.

"I did, you asshole!" Sasuke managed to grab Naruto's shoulder just as the ghost made it corporeal, flipping him over and pinning him. "I knew you were cheating from the first game!"

Naruto moved his corporeality from his shoulder to his elbow, leaving Sasuke to grasp at empty air as he jabbed him under the ribs with enough force to take his breath away, but not actually hurt him. "But you never figured out how I was doing it!"

"That's because you were cheating!"

The two boys continued to tussle playfully on the floor, messing up the carpet as they went. For the most part, Naruto's trick of semi-corporeality gave him an advantage, but occasionally Sasuke would gain the upper hand with quick thinking and skill.

It was during one of these times where Sasuke had managed to catch Naruto off guard, pinning him down onto the floor in a semblance of a chokehold, that the door abruptly opened, revealing the silhouette of a man with the same dark hair and eyes as Sasuke. Naruto immediately dropped his corporeality, letting Sasuke thump to the floor through him, and they briefly occupied the same space before Sasuke jumped up nervously, leaving Naruto to sit up on the floor and scratch his head sheepishly.

"F-Father?!" Sasuke stuttered, taking a step backwards. He was suddenly very aware of his appearance, from his flushed cheeks and panting breath to his rumpled clothing and the bandaged injury directly above his eye. "I- I didn't know you were… When did you get here?"

"Father?" Naruto looked back and forth between Sasuke and the man in the doorway, a lightbulb flicking on in his eyes when he figured it out. "Sasuke, this guy's your old man?"

Sasuke reflexively winced, shrinking back into himself. The presence of his father here, now, was a foul-breathed curse with a feted smile, reveling in his discomfort. Just, he suddenly realized, as it always had been. Amazingly, Naruto was unaffected by the waves of malicious emotion Sasuke could feel rolling off his father, but he was not unaffected by the presence of the phantom.

Fugaku Uchiha, Sasuke's father, fixed his stern gaze squarely on Naruto. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am Sasuke's 'old man,' as you called me. The question that remains, however, is this: who are you?"


	39. Heights

And this one took a while, but it's up. Don't worry; you won't have to wait quite so long for the next chapter!

Annnnnd... Addi out!

* * *

Fugaku Uchiha, Sasuke's father, fixed his stern gaze squarely on Naruto. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am Sasuke's 'old man,' as you called me. The question that remains, however, is this: who are you?"

Sasuke felt the weight of the world - the world he had been trying to ignore the whole summer - settle back down upon his shoulders as he looked at his father. The air in the room was chilling rapidly, invisible ice crystals forming in the space between Sasuke's gaze and the freezing gaze of his father. He wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but the air in his lungs had frozen into sharp spikes of solid ice, slicing the soft tissue into ribbons and making it impossible to breathe.

The frozen air that had taken Sasuke's words away seemed to skirt completely around Naruto, for he popped up to his feet without even noticing the way Fugaku was staring at him or his son, sticking his hand out for the older Uchiha to shake it.

"I'm Uzumaki, Naruto Uzumaki. I used to live in Konoha back in the-"

"Naruto!" Sasuke hissed through gritted teeth, finally managing to draw breath into his mutilated lungs.

With a frown, Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Why? What's wrong with telling him who I-"

"Just… Shut up, Naruto, please?"

The tone of Sasuke's voice, tense and almost begging, finally got through to Naruto, and his eyes widened as he suddenly felt the animosity between the two humans in the room. He backed up abruptly, his gaze skidding from Sasuke to his father, then back to Sasuke again. "Should I... leave?"

"Yes-" Sasuke started through gritted teeth, but his father held a hand up to cut him off.

"No," he said with chilling authority, his cold gaze roving between Naruto, who shrank back from the ice directed at him, and his son who instinctively angled himself in front of the phantom in a protective stance. "I think I'd like to know who you are and why you're here with my son."

Naruto opened his mouth to explain who he was for a second time, but Sasuke raised a hand to his shoulder, cutting him off with a gentle squeeze. He knew what to say that would piss his father off the least. "Naruto's a phantom."

"A phantom? Really?" A single eyebrow crept up Fugaku's forehead. "How do you know for certain? Did you look him up?"

Gritting his teeth to stop himself from yelling at his father that, yes, he had done the right thing and checked out everything because no, he wasn't a child anymore, Sasuke took a deep breath before responding. "Yes, I looked him up. And I had Neji come confirm it."

"Neji?"

"The Hyuuga boy I met a while ago. He came up and checked a few things out for me." Sasuke felt Naruto shift as if to speak, and he squeezed his shoulder tighter, telling him in no uncertain terms was he allowed to speak. "Nothing major; just some high concentrations of spiritual energy. It turned out to be nothing."

If Naruto was confused by the lie, he hid it quite well, laying a hand on the small of Sasuke's back and melting into the form of a child. It appeared Fugaku accepted to lie, though, for he gave a single sharp nod.

"And where is the Hyuuga boy now?"

 _Shit._ A flash of panic rushed through Sasuke as he remembered that he'd put Neji in the room his father had book for himself. "I'm so sorry; I didn't know you were coming, so he's staying in your room-"

"Was staying in my room," Fugaku corrected.

That drew Sasuke up short. "Wha-what?"

Sasuke's father produced a single crisp white envelope from his pocket and held it up for Sasuke's inspection. "I was just in there, and the room was unoccupied. I assume he left this. It was on the pillow."

"Did you read it?" Sasuke asked, suddenly nervous. What if Neji had mentioned the Akatsuki or the Kyuubi in the letter? He had already had a sneak preview of what would happen if his father found out what he had been doing this summer, and he didn't want to experience it in person.

But his fears proved unfounded as Fugaku shook his head. "It's addressed to you."

His fingers trembling slightly, Sasuke held out a hand to accept the letter, and his father placed it delicately in his outstretched palm. The envelope was a thick cream color, the paper fancier than anything Sasuke would have bothered to use, but thankfully still sealed at the back with the original lick-and-stick seal. Taking a shallow breath to calm the shaking of his hands, Sasuke tore open the envelope and pulled the letter out.

 _Dear Sasuke,_ it started.

 _I apologize for informing you of this through such impersonal means as a letter, but unfortunately Hinata and I have been called back to attend an event of little political but high sentimental value. Do not worry; it is unrelated to the Hyuuga family business, though they would not like me gone for much longer than necessary as well, so there is little chance of me being questioned on my absence. I purposefully kept Hinata in the dark in regards to the Akatsuki, so she will not be able to give away what transpired here._

 _As I am sure you well know, the things we did in Konoha were unorthodox and far outside the realm of acceptable in either of our families. I will keep silent about the Akatsuki and the Kyuubi, but I must have a reason ready for coming to Konoha at your request, so I will be using the excuse of the phantoms if I am ever asked. Please do this as well so our stories match._

 _In addition, I hope you are aware of our positions now: we, potentially, are the only ones who know about a dangerous group of Akatsuki who now have knowledge of both our gifts. I do not think I need to tell how dangerous this situation is. We both need to be alert to any clues that might mean Pein has switched his target to one or both of our families for revenge. I will keep silent as long as I can, but my priority is and always will be protecting Hinata, so I will not hesitate to tell what I know if it is the only way to avoid a potentially devastating conflict. I am sorry, but that is simply the way it is. I hope you can understand._

Sasuke swallowed against a sudden nervous lump in his throat. Here he had been, worrying about his relationship with Naruto, and Neji had already put a plan in place to hide what they'd done, considered the ramifications of their actions, and had the forethought to warn Sasuke what might happen in the future. He felt suddenly childish against Neji's spotless professionalism, the same professionalism he'd mocked when the Hyuuga had first arrived in Konoha. Feeling humbled, Sasuke glanced down to the next line, only to freeze in surprise at what it read.

 _On a lighter note, I want to thank you for asking me for help._

What? Neji was grateful for Sasuke's request? Why? What had he done for Neji except cause him trouble? Forgetting that there were two other people in the room watching him, Sasuke muttered, "That idiot," before biting his lip and continuing to read the letter.

 _On a lighter note, I want to thank you for asking me for help. Being away from the Hyuuga family for any length of time is always a blessing, and those friends of yours spent some time with Hinata teaching her how to be less nervous. Even though I've only been here for a little over a week, I feel like I've learned things as well. I am glad I had this experience._

 _On a separate piece of paper enclosed in this envelope, please find my phone number. This is my personal number, not the number you called last time, so please do not SHARE it- I give out this number out very rarely, if at all. I hope you will use it._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Neji Hyuuga_

 _PS: Please don't tell Shikamaru where I am._

The cryptic postscript drew a slight frown to Sasuke's face. Don't tell Shikamaru where he is? Why? What did Shikamaru have to do with anything else in the letter?

Sasuke's focus was dragged away from the postscript and back to reality when the envelope, held upside down in his loose grip, disgorged a small scrap of paper that fluttered down to the floor. Naruto reached out and caught it just before it hit the carpet, then held the paper close to his eyes.

"What's this?"

"Nothing important." Sasuke grabbed the paper out of Naruto's grasp and stuffed both it and the letter back into the envelope. When he looked up, it was into his father's questioning gaze.

"Well?" Fugaku asked, crossing his arms over his chest expertly. "What did he want?"

A sudden anger flashed in Sasuke at the question, melting the ice caused by his father's chilling aura. What right did he have to question the contents of the letter, a private correspondence between himself and a friend? The hand holding the envelope shook in rage, causing the paper to crinkle. The sound woke Sasuke from his trance, and he lowered his hand to his side, forcing the tension out of it. Now was not the time to start this useless fight.

"He just said that he was leaving and that he was sorry he couldn't say it in person, but he had somewhere he needed to be."

Fugaku kept his gaze leveled steadily at his son. "Is that all it said? It was a rather long letter."

Again, anger bubbled up within Sasuke, but he kept in from boiling over. "Neji has a way with words that includes saying what can be said in ten with fifty."

"I see." From Fugaku's tone, it was clear that he wasn't convinced. "Your mother is settling into her room, but she expects to see you soon to explain to her why you have been avoiding our calls." The implications of the words were clear: that he also was waiting to hear an explanation.

 _Shit._ Sasuke had forgotten that he'd turned his phone off the last week or so to avoiding having to contact his parents. Quickly scouring his mind for a plausible explanation, Sasuke blurted out the first one he thought of. "My SIM card's busted. I called with another phone and they told me it happens sometimes when you travel. I'll get it replaced when I come back."

"Hmm." It appeared Fugaku accepted Sasuke's explanation, for he nodded slowly and showed no signs of angry retaliation, but he still didn't look pleased about it. "Well, you could have at least told us what was going on. Your mother and I were worried sick! We thought something had happened to you; that's why we came out here in such a hurry."

All of a sudden, all the fight went out of Sasuke, and he collapsed down into a sitting position on the bed. "You… you were worried about me?"

"Of course we were worried about you!" Fugaku surprised Sasuke by hauling him up and pulling him into a hug. "We're your parents; of course we'd get worried if you stopped contacting us!"

It was then, in his father's arms, that Sasuke realized the icy chill that had permeated the room earlier hadn't been a physical manifestation of Fugaku's anger, but rather his worry. His eyes prickling in shame, Sasuke buried his face into the crook of his father's neck to hide his expression from Fugaku's eyes and tightened his arms around his father's strong muscular torso. He couldn't remember the last time his father had held him like this.

After swallowing once to dislodge the lump in his throat threatening to manipulate his speech, Sasuke said, "I'm sorry. I never meant to scare you. I wasn't thinking… I'm sorry."

"It's alright now," Fugaku said, hugging Sasuke closer to him. "You're safe. No harm done. Just don't scare us like that again, okay?"

"Okay," Sasuke answered in the voice of a small child. He'd been angry at his father for so long that he'd forgotten this side of him existed. In fact, he thought he hadn't seen it for eight years now, since the day Itachi…

Since the day Itachi had attacked him.

From the doorway, there was the sound of a gasp, and Sasuke broke from his father's embrace to see his mother, Mikoto Uchiha, standing at the doorway.

"Hello, Mother," he started uncertainly. "I… I'm really sorry I made you worry-"

But he didn't get farther than that because his mother flew from the doorway and scooped Sasuke up into her embrace. "Sasuke! My boy! Don't you ever do this to me again! Do you know how worried I was?"

Sasuke managed to get out the same excuse about his SIM card that he'd told his father, but it didn't really matter; his mother was more focused on squeezing the air out of his lungs. As he awkwardly patted his mother on the back, Sasuke felt his father's arms wrap around them both, and looked up in surprise to see Fugaku pulling them into a single embrace. His breath catching, Sasuke looked down to avoid letting his father see the tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. Yes, they had their fights and stiff moments, but they were still a family. Sasuke closed his eyes and lost himself in the arms of his parents. It wasn't until he opened his eyes again several seconds later that he realized Naruto had silently slipped away when he wasn't looking.

Suddenly breaking away from his parents, Sasuke turned his head sharply in either direction, trying in vain to locate the phantom. His arm still half wrapped around Mikoto, Fugaku looked at Sasuke with concern in his eyes.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?"

Guilt washed through Sasuke; here he was, having a family moment with his parents, the first he'd had in years, and all he could think about was that stupid phantom. It made his stomach churn. And yet, he still felt compelled to go to him.

Turning back to his parents, Sasuke tried to give them a smile, but it felt like more of a grimace to him. "I just remembered something I said I'd do today, so…"

"It's alright," Fugaku said, his normally stern face softened by a slight smile. "Go. We can manage to unpack by ourselves."

Sasuke had the feeling his father knew exactly what he was going to do, and that only made him feel worse. Pocketing Neji's letter, Sasuke went back to his parents and gave them one last hug, kissed his mother on the cheek, and walked out to the door to find Naruto.

Which would be an infinitely easier task if he actually knew where the phantom had gone. As soon as Sasuke had exited the doors of the Hokage, he'd been stumped on which direction to turn. His range of perception was far narrower than Neji's, so all he could tell was that Naruto wasn't on the Hokage grounds, which was a _big_ help. Closing his eyes and furrowing his brows in concentration, Sasuke ran the problem over in his mind. If he were a phantom in the middle of an existential crisis, where would he go?

His eyes popped open as soon as the answer came to him and he instantly took off at a run, wondering why it hadn't occurred to him before.

* * *

A different as the lakeside beach had looked in the afternoon sunlight from the light of the full moon in darkness, it took on a third separate facade in the warm light of the midmorning sun. The lake gleamed like a shining slice of a geode, clad brilliantly in the blue-green hue caused by the sun's slanting ray. The only remnant of the horrors that had taken place there the day before was the half smashed plate of glass left over from the first confrontation with Deidara's fire, but even that looked like the beach was trying to reclaim it, slowly but surely.

Craning his head back, Sasuke looked about and above him, trying to spot Naruto. He vaguely felt something at the back of his neck, enough for him to know that the phantom was there, but wherever he was, he wasn't showing himself to Sasuke.

"Naruto!" He yelled, placing both hands on his hips in irritation. "Where are you?"

There was no discernable reaction, but Sasuke felt the phantom's aura curling in on itself, an attempt at hiding that backfired as it allowed Sasuke to follow the recoiling strands of aura back to Naruto himself. They led to the top of a tall tree by the side of the lake, the one whose lower branches trailed in the still surface of the water. Not sure whether to scowl or smile softly to himself, Sasuke moved to the bottom of the tree and looked up. Through the dense branches, he was just able to make out the dim form of the ghost.

"Naruto! Get down from there!" He called again, raising one hand to shade his eyes to better see in the shade of the branches.

For a few seconds, there was no reaction, then Sasuke heard a wet sniffle from the branches above his head.

"Go away." The command was soft and lacked heart, and there were tears in Naruto's voice.

Taking another step forward so he was touching the bark of the trunk Sasuke warned, "Look, Naruto, either you're coming down or I'm coming up, so make your choice before I make it for you."

No further sounds trickled down through the dense foliage, so Sasuke shrugged and grabbed ahold of the lowest tree branch. "Well, I did warn you."

Ten minutes and two almost disastrous slips later, Sasuke reached the point in the tree where the branches thick enough to support his weight gave way to thin ones that bent when he touched them and sprung back with a vengeance when he let go. He sat down on a particularly thick branch, large enough for him to comfortably straddle and feel safe enough to let go of the trunk. Just a little bit further out on the same branch, Naruto sad with his legs dangling out into the open air, his gaze focused solely on the water far below.

"I didn't think you'd make it all the way," he said after a few minutes of silence. "I thought you'd give up when you got to the section where all the branches broke off in the ice storm three winters ago."

Sasuke didn't respond; he was still catching his breath. He remembered the particular spot Naruto spoke of with a shudder. His battered body was still crying out from the abuse he'd inflicted upon it yesterday, and trying to scale his way up the six foot section of tree with the broken stumps of what had once been branches as his only handholds had been terrifying. Still, he'd made it, pushing past his fear to keep pushing upwards. Leaning his head back against the trunk of the tree, Sasuke closed his eyes and breathed out slowly through his nose in an attempt to calm his racing heartbeat.

There was no sound of movement from the other end of the branch, but Sasuke could feel Naruto's gaze on him as the phantom turned to face him, clearing expecting an answer, whih Sasuke didn't give him.

Clearly getting impatient, Naruto broke the silence a second time. "Why did you come up here?"

"I said I was going to, didn't I?" Sasuke replied in a tight voice, keeping his eyes closed. He knew that if he opened them, the world would spin before his gaze, so it was safer just to keep them shut.

"Sasuke, why aren't you looking at me?"

"Because I have my eyes closed, dumbass," he tried to joke, but fear in his voice caused the joke to fall flat.

"Sasuke…" Naruto's voice came closer, like the phantom was creeping back towards Sasuke along the branch. "Are you afraid of heights?"

"Uh…" Sasuke allowed the syllable to float in the air for a second, trying to calm the mounting nausea threatening to cause the contents of his stomach to regain knowledge of the outside air. "I didn't really think so… I'm fine when I'm moving, when I'm focused… I just don't like looking down, is all…"

A hand settled on Sasuke's knee, startling him for a moment before he relaxed into the contact. "Sasuke, that's called being afraid of heights! For God's sake, why did you come up here?"

"Because I said I was going to," Sasuke repeated, opening his eyes the tiniest crack. Naruto's face swam into focus, and at the same time, the bile started to swim up Sasuke's throat. Yep, not ready to have eyes open yet. "You don't think I'm the kind of person to break my word, do you?"

The hand on Sasuke's knee crept up his thigh to grab hold of the hand resting there. "That's a completely separate issue! That was so stupid! You do know that you could have fallen and died, right?"

"Yes, I am aware of that fact." When Sasuke cracked open his eyes for a second time, Naruto's face was much closer, providing him with a target to focus on and calming down the roiling of his stomach. "I am conversing with a ghost."

"That's not funny, Sasuke!"

"To you, maybe."

"Sasuke!"

"Oh, just shut up, Naruto. Come here."

Without waiting for Naruto's assent, Sasuke grabbed the phantom and pulled him against his chest. The ghost froze for a few seconds, then curled up tighter, his body shrinking to that of a small child and his head curling up underneath Sasuke's chin. Gently rubbing Naruto's shaking back, Sasuke sat still and waited for the tears he knew were coming.

"Why am I like this, Sasuke?" The phantom sobbed, the cascade of solid tears he was shedding dampening the front of Sasuke's shirt. "Why do I exist? I should have died long ago- Hell, I did die long ago! Why am I still here, watching everyone else around me live when I cannot? Even you have your parents and Sakura and all those _living people_ , but I… I'm all alone and I'll stay that way forever!"

"That's not true! You have Shikamaru and the other phantoms!" Sasuke protested.

But Naruto only gave a wet scoffing noise against the material of Sasuke's shirt. "Other individuals I've condemned to a hellish existence of solitude as well. Yeah, great company."

"Naruto!" Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and shook him. "What's wrong with you? You weren't acting like this earlier this morning. What brought this on?"

Pulling out of Sasuke's grasp, Naruto glared at his with a sudden hostility that almost took Sasuke's breath away. "You should know. It's your fault."

" _My_ fault? How is _your_ existential crisis _my_ fault?"

"It's because of you and your stupid happy family!" Naruto raised both hands in the air, gesticulating wildly with a mad look in his eyes. "I was fine, and then you came and I started to rely on you too much… and then I saw you with your parents, and I realized I couldn't rely on you anymore." His hands dropped down to his sides and his gaze followed suit, moving downwards until it rested on the rough bark of the tree branch he was sitting on. "I remembered that you have a life outside of Konoha, and it scared me. You're going to be leaving soon, aren't you."

It wasn't a question, but Sasuke answered it as if it had been. "Yes, but not for a couple more weeks. There's still some time left."

"Ha!" Naruto scoffed, turning back around to look at the surface of the lake far below them. "Like that's going to make much difference. It's fate, Sasuke, inevitability. You and I just aren't destined to have existences that coincide. I mean, I died almost a hundred years before you were born! This conversation, by all natural laws, shouldn't even be possible!"

"And yet, here we are," Sasuke said softly.

That sobered Naruto up, but only slightly. "Yes, here we are…" He said softly, standing up and taking a step towards the end of the branch.

"...Naruto? What are you doing?"

Naruto didn't respond, instead taking another step towards the end of the branch. Panic suddenly flooding his stomach, Sasuke stood up as well and took a careful step towards the phantom, holding onto a branch above his head.

"Naruto! Get back from there!"

But Naruto only leaned out over the edge of the branch, whispering something too quietly for Sasuke to hear.

"Naruto!" Sasuke took another shaky step forward. "This isn't funny!"

"Oh, but it is!" Naruto cried, turning back around to face Sasuke and holding his arms wide. "It's hilarious! Imagine the fun someone must be having, thinking about our tragic story! The woe; the irony! It's all a game to them!"

Sasuke wasn't following any of what the phantom was saying. "Naruto, what are you talking about? You're not making any sense!"

"God, Sasuke; or fate, or whatever passes for a higher power in this stupid half existence that I have left." Naruto took a step backwards, away from Sasuke and towards the open air.

"Naruto!" Sasuke's voice went tight with fear as the phantom took another step backwards. "Stop this! Get back from there!"

With a scathing laugh, Naruto took another step backwards, off the end of the branch, and planted his feet in the air. "I'm _dead_ , Sasuke."

Relief surging through his system, Sasuke sagged abruptly, holding his body up with only his grip on the branch above his head. When he looked up again, it was so see a curiously confused expression on Naruto's face.

"I really scared you," he said in a wondering tone, cocking his head to the side. "You were really worried about me…. Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sasuke snapped through gritted teeth, tightening his fist on the branch so that a small twig snapped off under the pressure of his grip. "Because as clueless and insensible as you're being right now, I still care about you!"

At that, Naruto froze, his hand caught raised halfway between his side and his chest and his expression stilled somewhere between incredulity and a heartwrenching sadness. After a few seconds, his frozen aura melted, the ice taking with it all the tension from his small frame.

"I don't know what I ever did to deserve meeting you, Sasuke."

"I don't know either," Sasuke admitted, and Naruto flashed him one of his patented cheeky grins.

"Must have been something absolutely horrible," he joked, the life returning to his expression with considerable speed.

With a chuckle, Sasuke shook his head, glad Naruto had broken himself out of whatever funk he had been in. He had expected he would eventually - after all, ghosts were, as a definition, static creatures, and did not change very easily, if at all - but it was a weight off his shoulders that it had happened so quickly. After all, he'd had enough of ghost babysitting for one lifetime-

Midthought, Sasuke's brain went white as his foot slipped off the side of the branch he'd been standing on. Instinctively, he grabbed for the branch he was holding on to with both hands, but it snapped off in his grip, leaving him bereft of any support, and almost in slow motion, he felt himself falling sideways.

 _Is this it?_ The snarky voice in Sasuke's head asked, for once sounding genuinely subdued. _Is this really how we're going to end, after everything we survived yesterday? What a pathetic existence._

And for once, Sasuke found himself agreeing with that inner voice.

Sasuke's eyes drifted shut as he felt himself crash against a branch too thin to give him any support, his hands automatically grasping at it and coming away with nothing but handfuls of leaves. He was suspended in midair, gravity not yet gaining a hold of his body but not far from doing so, poised a second before disaster and a millennium before his mind could catch up to his body. Then gravity did take hold, and he felt himself being pulled abruptly downwards.

A thin branch whipped across his face as he slammed through it, desperately grasping at anything he could put his hands on but finding nothing strong enough to keep him from falling, leaving an angry red welt on his cheek, but Sasuke didn't feel the pain. His mind was elsewhere, somewhere between the bounds of life and death, wondering if it would hurt when he hit the ground, or whether he would be gone before his mind could register the pain.

A blinding flash of pain exploded through Sasuke's stomach as it collided with something strong and unyielding, and he let out a grunt as the air exploded out of his body. _Yep, definitely have the time to register the pain._ His eyes cracked open slightly with the force of the blow, expecting to see the ground rushing up to meet him, but instead what he saw was branches rushing him past him in the opposite direction.

 _What the Hell?_

His eyes flashing completely open, Sasuke saw that he was being dragged upwards, back to the branch he'd been sitting on before. Looking down, he saw that the force against his stomach, what he thought had been his body striking a branch, was a pair of arms grasping him about the middle with a panicked desperation. The grasp hauled him up onto the branch and then pushed him back so he was sitting with his back pressed to the trunk of the tree, and then Sasuke saw that the arms belonged to Naruto, who had shifted into the body of his much older self, when the phantom seized his collar and used it to slam his head back into the tree trunk.

"Damnit, Sasuke!" Naruto cried, and Sasuke saw that there were tears in his eyes. "What the Hell were you thinking? Don't scare me like that!"

"Oh, so it's alright for you to scare me, but not the other way around?" Sasuke snapped out instinctively, still reeling from his brush with death. "That's awfully egocentric of you."

Naruto responded by slamming Sasuke's head back against the tree and kissing him fiercely, the tears dripping down his face wetting Sasuke's own cheeks on contact. Pulling away, he whispered, "Because I can't die. You can."

Touched, Sasuke pulled Naruto into his chest and for the second time in as many minutes and allowed the phantom to sob against the material of his shirt. Reaching up, Sasuke touched his cheeks and his fingers came away damp with spectral tears that he watched dissolve into the air with a distracted kind of fascination. Before that moment, he had never understood how vast the differences between them were as he did now.

When Naruto's tears once again dried, Sasuke patted him on the head. "There, there. Feel better now?"

"Yes." Naruto gave a sniffle and sat up. "Thanks."

"Well, I don't know what I did besides almost fall out of a tree, but you're welcome."

Naruto smiled at that. "You're the champion of getting into scrapes."

"Normally I would disagree with you, but considering everything that's happened this summer, I might actually be inclined to let you have that one."

"Glad to know you're such a selfless person."

"I do try my hardest."

Both boys looked at each other in utmost seriousness for a few seconds, then exploded into laughter. This was simply how they were, sorrowful one moment and laughing the next, but Sasuke found he didn't mind. The variability kept things interesting.

Wiping his hand across his eyes to dislodge the tears of mirth forming there, Sasuke let his laugh sober. "Oh, Naruto, what am I going to do without you?"

"Be an emo little bitch like you were when you first got here."

When Sasuke glared at Naruto, the phantom only shrugged.

"Well, it's true, you know."

"Excuse me. I was never an _emo little bitch._ " Sasuke crossed his hands over his chest and stuck his nose in the air in mock affront, but Naruto only giggled.

"Tell that to your wardrobe. Did you own anything besides black when you first got here?"

"Yes, I di-" Sasuke started to say, then stopped when he realized that besides his one white dress shirt, all the clothes he had brought had been black. The shirt he was wearing now, one of several he'd purchased in the local gift shops Ino and Sakura had seemed to enjoy dragging him into at the beginning of the summer, was a dark red and commanded "Keep Calm and Eat Lobster" to anyone who bothered to read it. "Okay, fair enough on that point. But I still resent your accusation."

"But you'll miss me all the same."

"That I will. And you?"

"I think that goes without saying."

They lapsed into silence, the only sound around them the soft swish of the wind through the leaves. The sun was high in the sky, signaling that it was now almost noon, and it shone down onto the lake with, glinting upwards again in piercing slashes of light. When a cloud passed over the sun, casting a shadow over the lake and stealing away the glinting reflections, Sasuke signed and made to stand.

"Well, I suppose that I should be getting back. My parents will want to spend some time with me now that they're here."

Naruto immediately mirrored his movements, standing up beside Sasuke. "Can I come with you?"

Biting his lip, Sasuke considered for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Sorry, but I don't think that would be a good idea. My mother can't see ghosts, but my father certainly can and he won't be amused by your antics."

"Aw!" Naruto stuck out his lower lip. "Not even if I promise to be good? No singing?"

Sasuke stifled a smile at the memory of Naruto's previous foray into the realm of musical endeavours, but still shook his head. "I think it would be better not to chance it. But I'll see you tonight, alright?"

Turning abnormally large puppy dog eyes at him, Naruto asked, "Promise?"

"Promise," Sasuke answered, mussing the phantom's hair with an indulgent smile.

"Yay!" Naruto gave him a brief squeeze about the middle, then floated a few inches off the branch. "Well, I guess it's time to climb down, then. Think you can make it by yourself?"

Sasuke swallowed nervously, trying not to dwell on the vast space between him and solid ground, then nodded. "Y-yeah, I should be fine."

"Okay." Naruto didn't look convinced, but he backed away from the tree all the same, starting his descent. "See you at the bottom."

Once Naruto was out of sight, Sasuke allowed his hands to relax from the fists he'd clenched them into, revealing the tremors going through the digits. Going down was always harder than going up. Clenching his jaw, Sasuke gave himself a sharp nod of encouragement. _You can do this._

 _Yeah, right._

Taking one more deep breath in a vain attempt to steady his suddenly escalating heartbeat and respiration, Sasuke turned around and lowered his body down to reach with his foot for the branch below him. It was absolutely terrifying, the feeling of allowing gravity to take over the direction of his body. Almost as terrifying as losing control.

Sasuke made it almost a quarter of the way down the tree before he reached the section where all the branches had been sheared off in the ice storm years before and he froze, his body unwilling to let his feet search for the small footholds he logically knew were there but couldn't see. Pressing his face against the rough bark of the trunk, he wrapped his arms around the nearest branch and hung on for dear life, trying to calm his thundering heartbeat and regain control of his limbs.

 _Dammit, Sasuke!_ His inner voice yelled at him. _You made it up here, you can make it back down again! Where's your pride?_

"Somewhere on the ground with the rest of my organs," Sasuke muttered back to his inner voice, and below him, Naruto looked up.

"Sasuke? Are you alright?"

"Yes!" Sasuke screamed too loudly, too shrilly, trying to cover up his fear. "I-I'm fine! Perfect! I'll be right down! Just wait for me there!"

He tried to reach down with his foot again, but his arms were locked around the branch of the tree and refused to let go. Gasping, he screwed his eyes shut and pressed his face harder against the rough bark of the tree trunk. A stickiness on his cheek alerted him to the fact that he'd leaned against a patch of pitch, but he couldn't bring himself to care. His entire body was trembling like a helpless piece of seaweed caught in an unforgiving current, a riptide intent on sweeping it out to sea, and a part of his brain couldn't help but wonder almost idly how long his locked muscles would keep his body trapped against the tree - a minute? An hour? - while the rest of his mind panicked.

Suddenly, there was a presence behind him, and Sasuke felt a hand rest gently but firmly against the small of his back. "Sasuke? Are you okay?"

"No! No, I'm not okay!" Sasuke cried a little too shrilly, his throat constricted with fear he was now too preoccupied with to bother trying to hide. "I'm fucking terrified! Leave me alone so I can get down from this fucking death trap!"

But the hand refused to withdraw, instead moving upwards to offer better support. "Sasuke, you don't have to do this by yourself! Let me help! I can-"

"No!" Sasuke shouted, twisting his shoulders to try and throw that unmovable hand off. "I'm fine! I can do it!"

"Sasuke, you obviously can't-"

"No! I can! Just watch, and I'll… I'll…" Sasuke broke off into a sob as he tried once again to move his foot downwards, but his arms refused to budge. "Fuck it, why won't you just move?"

The hand on Sasuke's back finally withdrew, but it was soon replaced by both of Naruto's arms wrapping around Sasuke's torso. "Why won't you let me help you?" He whispered in Sasuke's ear, causing him to flinch away from the ticklish heat. "Don't you trust me?"

"I- I do…" Sasuke gasped out, feeling Naruto's arms tightened about him and not feeling sure whether the sensation scared him or made him feel safer. "I just… I have to trust… trust my own body over anything else…"

"Anything? Even me?"

"Don't take it personally, Naruto; it's just how I am." Sasuke rippled his back muscles to try and throw the phantom off, but Naruto just clung to him tighter.

"I want to help you, Sasuke! Why can't you see that?" Naruto's cheek was suddenly pressed against Sasuke's as the phantom leaned in closer to him. "You protected my yesterday. Why won't you let me do the same for you now?"

"Because I'm afraid," Sasuke admitted, feeling his own breath mix with the spectral breath grazing his cheek. "I'm afraid to lose control. I'm afraid of letting go."

"Then be afraid." Naruto kissed his cheek gently, then moved his right hand up to cover Sasuke's as it gripped the tree. "Conquer that fear. Let me help you."

A bolt of fear shot through Sasuke as the spectral hand gripping his own slowly began to pry his fingers away from the back. "N-Naruto? What are you doing?"

"Relax, Sasuke," Naruto whispered in his ear, but his too-soothing tone only served to send another shock of terror though Sasuke system.

"Cut it out, Naruto! This isn't funny!"

"I know." Naruto freed Sasuke's right hand from the tree and intertwined their fingers. "Have a little faith in me, you know?"

"Oh, God," Sasuke whispered in sheer terror as he felt Naruto pulling him away from the tree. First he pulled his right arm back by their intertwined hands, then he used his left arm, the arm still wrapped around Sasuke's middle, to pull his body away from the rough bark. His left arm, gripping desperately at the branch he was clinging to, was the last thing to lose contact with the tree, so when Sasuke felt his fingers grasping instead at empty air, he let out a whimper.

"Naruto…"

"It's alright, Sasuke," Naruto whispered in Sasuke's ear, pressing his delicate cheek against Sasuke's strongly perspiring neck. "I've got you."

There was nothing below Sasuke's feet but empty air and nothing in his ears but the rush of his own pounding heartbeat. It drowned out everything else, blocking all sensation until he felt Naruto beginning to let go up him, and he panicked, squeezing his eyes even tighter shut and clutching at the phantom. As hard as he tried to hold on, Naruto was stronger, and managed to push his clinging arms off until they were standing face to face with only their hands connecting their bodies together.

"Sasuke, look at me," Naruto said quietly, but Sasuke only shook his head vehemently, turning his shuttered gaze the the ground.

All of a sudden, one of the hands holding on to Sasuke's own let go, and he was left floundering for support. Drawing the hand in close to him, he crumbled in on himself, then gasped as he felt the hand that had so recently abandoned his own tracing his chin and forcing it up.

"Look at me, Sasuke!" Naruto ordered with such an authoritative tone that Sasuke couldn't help but obey.

Squinting in the light, Sasuke's eyes slowly cracked open, revealing Naruto's face close to his, close enough that they could have brushed noses if Sasuke leaned forward any further. Naruto carefully held his cheek in his hand, fixing his terrified gaze with a knowledgeable one.

"Sasuke, I've got you. Do you trust me?"

Sasuke couldn't breathe for a few seconds, but when he was able to draw in enough breath to speak, his body betrayed him by uttering a single word: "Yes…"

"Good." And with that, Naruto completely let go of Sasuke, leaving him to float in midair.

Sasuke's eyes went wide as a wave of abject terror washed over him. His vision churned and swam wildly and his gaze darted about with no real target, first settling on the ground far below him - _Jesus Christ, he was standing in midair_ \- then the tree behind him - _holy shit this wasn't happening_ \- then the clouds above him - _he was going to die; his heart was going to explode from the tempo it was trying to achieve and he was going to die_ \- before finally settling on the ghost in front of him.

Parting his dry and cracked lips, Sasuke managed to croak, "Naruto…!"

But Naruto refused to reach out and grab him again, even when he stretched out a hand imploringly, instead taking another step backwards.

"I have you, Sasuke," he repeated in a soothing tone. "Please just trust me."

Slamming the heels of his palms over his eye sockets, Sasuke took several deep, shaky breaths. "Alright. Alright, I trust you. Just don't expect me to watch."

"I think I can handle that."

Without any other warning, Sasuke suddenly felt himself being lowered through the air. Stopping the swears - and perhaps a little vomit - threatening to explode out of his mouth with a hand, Sasuke curled in on himself and waited for solid ground to meet his waiting feet.

Even though it was only a few seconds, it felt like forever before Sasuke felt the give of sand beneath his feet instead of the nothingness of air, and he dropped to his knees in gratitude, his weakened legs unable to support his body because of the shaky rush of relief that rushed through his entire body. He buried his hands in the silty stuff, trying desperately not to lean forward and press his lips to it.

A gentle hand settled atop his head. "There. That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"Speak for yourself," Sasuke rasped after he found his voice again, swallowing thickly against the dryness of fear coating his throat. His hands, buried in the sand, were still shaking. "That was one of the most terrifying things I've ever experienced."

"Oh, Sasuke." Naruto sighed mockingly, reaching down to grab Sasuke under his armpits and drag him up to a standing position. "What am I going to do with you?"

Unsteadily, Sasuke balanced his weight on his own two feet, and flashed Naruto a weak smile. "Not try to kill me like that again, I hope."

"Try to kill you?!" Naruto put a hand over his mouth and gasped in a mockery of surprise and hurt. "Now, why would I do that?"

"Yeah, yeah, joker." Sasuke pulled away from Naruto's supporting arms; his knees were still shaky, but he could stand on his own. "I really do have to get back now. See you tonight?"

For some reason, the expression reflected in Naruto's eyes was uncompromisingly dark. "Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Yay!" Whatever expression Sasuke thought he'd seen in Naruto's eyes dissolved, leaving him to wonder if it had really been there at all, as the phantom darted forward and gave him a strong hug. "See you tonight!"

Sasuke allowed the hug for a few seconds before he laughed and pushed playfully at the ghostly arms wrapped around his middle. "Alright, Naruto. You have to let go now."

"Oh! Sorry." Naruto immediately let go of Sasuke and floated a few steps backwards. "Go have fun with your parents now."

"I will."

And with that, Sasuke turned his back to the excitable, erratic and sometimes errant phantom standing on the beach and started on the trail back to the Hokage.


	40. Hard Decisions

Thanks to everyone for their support for this story! It's finally almost to its conclusion; just one more chapter and the epilogue, which will be split into three parts.

So sorry to the people who review who I haven't given a shout out to yet! I feel so bad that I missed you!

 **loveleslover** \- thanks for your kind words! Hope this answers your Kisame question!

 **MukuroLeonheart** \- holy cow, how did you review three times and not have me respond to you yet? Bad Addi! And in answer to the question you asked literally almost a month ago, a few of the songs Naruto sang are based loosely on "real" songs (the Lion King one very loosely based on the Screen Junkies Honest Trailer of the Lion King and the Aladdin one based on the song "Take Off Your Clothes" from Starkid's Twisted, so I don't own those two) but all the others are from my own imagination.

And just in case you were worried about our lovely couple back at the hospital...

* * *

A few days after Kisame stopped coming to work, Itachi stopped getting out of bed in time to meet the temporary nurse who brought him his breakfast every morning. She was a sweet lady, a little older than the Hispanic nurse who had accused him of being possessed by the Devil but much more understanding and better at her job; there was no way Itachi would have been able to manipulate her like he'd manipulated the first nurse. There was only one problem, and that was the fact that she wasn't Kisame.

The mornings, and in fact, the whole day, seemed colder without him. Itachi hadn't realized exactly how much the nurse had helped him - and indeed, how much he meant to him - until he had disappeared abruptly from his life. But then again, wasn't that always the case?

One morning over a week after Kisame's disappearance and the incident with the Hispanic nurse, the door to Itachi's padded white cell opened, but he refused to acknowledge the presence of the nurse who closed the door softly behind them. _Let them make something of_ that, he thought spitefully, keeping his face pressed into the fabric of the pillow as he listened to the footsteps of the nurse as they carried the tray of food to the table.

The nurse's abnormally heavy footsteps.

Too heavy for a woman.

Just as Itachi came to the realization, Kisame's voice resounded through the room, muffled by the padding on the walls.

"And here I thought you'd be more excited to see me again."

Itachi tore out of bed and threw himself in the direction of Kisame's voice. There was a chair and a table in the way, and he crashed into them with a litany of impressive swears, but Kisame laughed and came around the table to pull Itachi into a hug.

Itachi allowed the embrace for a few seconds, reveling in the feeling of being held, before he pushed Kisame away and fixed what he hoped was an angry expression on what he hoped was Kisame's face.

"And where the Hell have you been?"

"Oh, here and there," came the response from somewhere to the left of where Itachi was focusing his angry expression, and he quickly adjusted his aim accordingly. "Something came up that I had to deal with."

Something in his tone alerted Itachi that Kisame wasn't telling him the whole truth. "Like what?" He asked, then added pointedly, "Family emergency?"

Kisame stilled at the words. "How'd you find out about that? I told them not to tell you."

"...I manipulated it out of a nurse stupid enough to let me."

"Itachi!" There was disapproval written in Kisame's tone. "That's only going to hurt your image, you know."

Itachi heaved a sigh. "I know, but she deserved it! She brought me a metal knife and fork, and then she was on her phone, and she didn't even read my case file before coming in here! Honestly, I did her a favor."

"By forcing her to break another rule?"

"No, by scaring her enough that she'll never break another rule again." Itachi crossed his arms over his chest and gave Kisame an expression of defiance.

Kisame responded by running his hand through his hair - a motion discernable to Itachi only through the sound it created - and sighing. Itachi allowed him his silence for a few seconds before pressing his question again.

"So, why were you gone?"

Kisame turned away from Itachi. "I turned in my two week's notice."

"Kisame, stop deflecting the questio- wait, what? You're leaving? When?"

"A week from tomorrow."

"A week from tomorrow?!" Itachi felt a shard of ice slip into his chest. "Why so soon?"

Silence permeated the room as Kisame refused respond, turning the shard of ice in Itachi's chest to a hot flash of anger, and he slammed palm flat against the table, causing the tray of food to jump and clatter.

"Dammit, Kisame, why won't you just tell me?"

That drew a response from him. Mirroring Itachi, Kisame slammed his hands down onto the table and leaned towards Itachi, spraying him with the spittle of his harsh words. "Stop asking, Itachi! You have to understand the position I'm in! I need to disappear; I can't afford to say anything that could allow someone to track me down!"

"Ahh." Itachi allowed a triumphant smile to creep across his face. "So your father's gang found you. Tell me, are they threatening you to come back or offering you asylum?"

A strangled noise escaped Kisame. "Wha…? How did you…?"

"Please; it wasn't that hard. You practically told me yourself." Itachi spread both hands flat against the tabletop and leaned towards Kisame. "You said you needed to disappear, and given what you've already told me about your past, it was only natural to assume your father's gang would be involved. Also, there'd only be two reasons why you'd need to disappear: one, that they want you back and you need to escape from them again, or two, that a rival gang has found you and your father's gang is offering you protection from the rival gang. So, which is it?"

Silence followed Itachi's pronouncement, followed by a shaky sigh and the sound of a chair being scraped across the floor opposite Itachi. "You're too smart for your own good, or mine, for that matter," Kisame said as he sat down across the table. "Alright, I'll tell you, but only if you eat while I do it. Don't think I didn't notice how much weight you've lost in the past week."

"Sold." Itachi immediately pulled the tray towards him and started shoveling food into his mouth without really tasting it. "Alright, I'm eating, so you can start talking now, no?"

Kisame heaved another sigh. "You're very pushy today."

Itachi stabbed his spoon in Kisame's direction. "Are you going to tell me what's going on or try and deflect the question again?"

"No,"Kisame said on a sigh, his voice retreating slightly as he leaned back from the table. "I'll tell you, it's just… unnerving, with the cameras and all."

Dismissing Kisame's concerns with a flap of his hand, Itachi said, "Oh, don't worry about them. They don't record audio anyway."

That gave Kisame pause. "They don't?" He asked cautiously.

"Yeah, they switched me over to a low-resolution security camera with no audio years ago because it was more cost efficient and I had stopped my 'self-destructive behavior' - their words, not mine. The only way we'd be overheard is if they turned the intercom on, and we'd know if they did that."

"Interesting." There was a sound of skin brushing against skin as Kisame passed a hand over his jaw in thought. "You know, for as long as I've worked here, they never told me that."

"It doesn't surprise me. They like to appear as if they have more control than they actually do." Itachi laid his spoon down on the table next to the bowl of whatever he had been eating - when he'd devoted enough brainpower to it, he'd decided it was a bowl of sawdust mixed with mashed cardboard - and steepled his fingers. "Was that deflection number three? Because I'll just keep asking until you tell me."

"No, it wasn't," Kisame defended, drumming his fingers anxiously against the tabletop. "I was just- dammit, it was a deflection. And so was this. Fuck!"

If Itachi was surprised by the sudden curse, he didn't know it. Yes, it was against the rules for nurses to swear in front of patients, but Kisame was under a lot of stress right now and he wouldn't hold it against him. "Just spit it out," he recommended, reaching blindly across the table until he found Kisame's drumming fingers and stilled them with his own. "Let's try this again. Kisame, why didn't you come to work this past week? Did something happen?"

"My father's gang found me!" Kisame exploded, and then the whole story poured out of him almost on one breath. "They've known where I was for a long time, but they let me alone because my father respected my decision. But my father was just recently killed by an assassin from a rival gang, and now they want me back to take his place. They're not exactly threatening me, but they've made it clear that I can't refuse their offer because now that they've contacted me, the rival gang also knows where I am and I'll be next on their hit list." All the energy drained from, Kisame allowed his head to collapse on the table, on top of Itachi's hand holding onto his own. "I don't know what to do, Itachi. I don't want to go back… but I don't have a choice anymore."

"There, there." Itachi awkwardly patted Kisame on the head with his unoccupied hand. "You'll make it through." He didn't know how, but Kisame had been dealing with this his whole life. He could do it.

"I know I will," Kisame muttered into the table, the words muffled by the wood and Itachi's hand. "That's not what's bothering me."

"Then what is?" Itachi asked gently, stroking his fingers soothingly through Kisame's hair.

Kisame sat back upright, dislodging Itachi's hand from his head and reaching forward to cup his cheek with his hand. "I made you a promise," he said quietly, his thumb brushing across Itachi's cheekbone and almost touching the bottom of the bandage that covered his eyes. "And if I leave, I can't keep that promise."

Itachi felt the tempo of his heartbeat suddenly quicken, but he quickly pushed the feelings it evoked back down. "That's alright, Kisame; you've got to take care of your own problems first-"

"No! You don't get it!" Kisame interrupted him loudly, shocking Itachi into silence. "I swore that I would get you out of here, Itachi; I gave my word you would be a free man, and you would be free by my hand. How can I 'take care my own problems', as you so put it, knowing that I left someone I care about, someone who deserves to be free, trapped in a hellhole like this?"

"Kisame-"

But Kisame cut Itachi off as soon as he tried to speak again. "I can't, Itachi, and that's the truth of it. But I can't stay either…"

"Then take me with you."

The words were so shocking, even to Itachi himself, that they seemed to freeze the air within the room and the humans resting inside it into a single solid mass. It was so foreign a concept, so alien, that he almost wanted to take back the words hanging in the frozen air.

"Wh-what?" Kisame gasped, and Itachi squared his shoulders. No, once those words had been said, there was no turning back.

"Take me with you," he repeated, grasping onto both of Kisame's hands with his own. "We both know my father will never let me out of here, no matter how hard you fight against him, and since he forged records of my death years ago, I would never be able to get the assistance I need for my disability anywhere but with someone who knew my situation or a place like here. It would be the only way." A sudden thought struck him, causing his cheekbones to flame, and he dropped Kisame's hands and turned his face to the side. "Unless you don't want me with you. I would understand; I'd be a huge burden-"

"You wouldn't be a burden at all!" Kisame cried, grabbing Itachi's hand back in his own. "I just… You know that I'd have to exist outside the law, right? I could never ask that of you. With all you've been through, you deserve a better life."

Trembling, Itachi leaned towards Kisame. "Kisame, just being outside at all would be a dream come true! I wouldn't care where I was or how I was living if I could feel the sun's rays, and the rain, and air that doesn't smell of chemicals… I would be happy. Besides," he added, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly, "I'm legally dead already. How much worse could my life get?"

"Y-you really mean it?" There was a tremor in Kisame's voice. "You'd really come with me, to live a life like the one I'll have to lead?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Itachi," Kisame gasped out, grasping onto Itachi's hands even harder. "You don't know what you're saying; you can't-"

"I know," Itachi assured him, squeezing Kisame's hands tighter in return. "I'd do anything if it meant I could live outside here… and with you."

"Oh, Itachi," Kisame almost moaned. Itachi heard him leaning forward and followed suit, his heart pounding, moving closer; any second now and they would collide-

But a half second before their lips could meet, the intercom on the wall crackled to life and they jumped apart.

"Kisame, the patient's heart rate is abnormally high. Are you experiencing any issues? Would you like a sedative-"

"No," Kisame interrupted after clearing his throat. "No sedatives. Everything is under control."

"Are you sure?" The voice asked dubiously. "He's been without much contact for a week. You don't know if that's done something to him."

"He's fine," Kisame repeated. "He's emotional, not violent. It's good for patients to have a catharsis once in awhile."

To back up his claim, Itachi let out a little sniffle, just loud enough for it to be audible on the other side of the intercom. It must have satisfied the person on the other end of the line, because the intercom omitted a "Roger," crackled one more time, and fell silent.

"That was close," Kisame said with a sigh, leaning back.

Itachi couldn't help the pang of disappointment that shot through him, but he shook his head and ignored it. "I'm sorry; that was my fault. I forgot they had the heart rate monitor on me."

"No, it wasn't your fault," Kisame quickly assured him. "I'd forgotten too."

"We'll have to be more careful from now on," Itachi hedged, "if we're going to plan a break out."

Kisame stilled. "Are you serious about it?"

"Are you?"

After a few seconds, there was the sound of rustling as Kisame nodded. "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Good." Itachi allowed his joy to show in the curling of the corners of his upper lip. "Because we're going to need a very precise plan to pull it off. Any ideas?"


	41. The End of a Beautiful Thing

Okay, maybe I lied. There will be one more chapter and then the tree epilogues. Have fun reading, guys!

Addi out

* * *

"...and this is the park I spent a lot of time in at the beginning of the summer. It's a really nice place to read, and the library has this great program where it prints and binds copies of works by amateur local writers under pen names, so I ended up reading a lot of those here."

"It certainly is a nice place," Mikoto said demurely as she placed a hand on her husband's upper arm. "Don't you think so, dear?"

"Hmm… Oh, yes, it's very nice," Fugaku said, coming back to reality with a start.

After Sasuke had gone back to the Hokage, his parents had insisted he show them around Konoha and bring them to all the places he'd been to over the course of the month he'd been there without them. He'd agreed enthusiastically, glad to have the chance to spend some more time with his parents, no matter that his father had already retreated into his normal icy shell and his mother was back to her old cheery self. Sasuke didn't mind; he knew how deal with this version of parents.

"There seem to be an abnormally large number of ghosts around here," Fugaku stated suddenly, his hand twitching into a loose fist at his side.

Trying not to let his father see his sigh and his nervousness, Sasuke turned back to them and said, "I noticed that too; that's why I asked Neji out here. He said there wasn't a problem, though, just a few strong draugrs and a few phantoms whose powers were artificially lengthening some of the weaker ghosts' lives. It's nothing to worry about." _It's not technically a lie. There are quite a few strong draugrs and phantoms, and one of them is artificially lengthening the lives of normal ghosts. Not that my father would care about that if he ever found out the truth of what was going on in Konoha._

"Hmm." While Fugaku didn't sound entirely convinced, at least he didn't seem to want to argue with Sasuke. "Have you tried laying any of them to rest?"

"Yes, but they're especially resilient; I wasn't successful in any of my attempts. They're almost a community with the community here, so I figured it would be better just to leave them alone until they faded naturally." _Not that that would ever happen, thanks to Naruto._

"Hmmm…" Fugaku repeated, his eyes suspicious, but his wife pulled on his arm and pointed to a bench located in a bed of flowers.

"Oh, look at the bench, honey! Doesn't it look so deliciously rustic? Come on, let's take a closer look!"

Stuttering a little, Fugaku was dragged over to the bench by his enthusiastic wife, and Sasuke couldn't help but allow the corners of his mouth to curl up in a slight smile. Sometimes his parents could be strangely adorable.

"Sasuke!" A familiar spectral voice rang out from across the park, causing his shoulders to tense and the smile to slide off his face like honey from an oiled spoon.

 _Perfect timing, asshole ghost._

He didn't say it out loud, however, only turned to face the phantom stalking - or floating, as the case would be - across the grass with a tight smile. "What do you want, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru prefaced his angry expression with no explanation, going right for the throat and stabbing Sasuke in the chest with a finger. "Where is he?"

"Who? Naruto? Last I saw, he was by the lake-"

"No, not Naruto," Shikamaru seethed, his face livid with rage. "That damned Hyuuga! Where the hell is he?"

Well, that was unexpected. Why was Shikamaru asking about Neji? And what had him so pissed off? It wasn't as if the Hyuuga had up and left in the middle of something important…

 _Or_ , Sasuke thought suddenly, the postscript of the letter Neji had left him jumping unbidden into his mind, _Maybe he had…?_

"I don't see how that's any of your business," he said instead, turning his back on the phantom, but Shikamaru grabbed his shoulder forcefully and dragged him back around to face him.

"It is my god-damn business if my opponent up and leaves in the middle of a game!" He hissed through gritted teeth, and Sasuke blinked in surprise.

"...A game? Like, chess?"

Realizing what he'd let slip, Shikamaru let go of Sasuke as if he'd been burned and backed away, his face closing off. "I can see you're going to be no help. I'll just find him myself."

Turning his back to Sasuke, Shikamaru started stalking away before Sasuke called out to him.

"Shikamaru!"

Irately, the ghost turned back to regard him with an impassive glare. "What?"

Swallowing once, Sasuke answered, "He won't be anywhere near here. You won't be able to reach him."

Unexpectedly, Shikamaru's gaze softened. "I'll find him; have no doubt of that," he said, leaving Sasuke unsure whether his words were a threat or a promise. "See you around, Sasuke… Or maybe not."

And with that, he twirled his hand in a circular motion, and the shadows on the ground beneath him opened up and swallowed him whole.

Sasuke could only stand, dumbfounded, staring at the spot where Shikamaru had been. He'd known the phantom had some kind of control over shadows since he'd used that power in the fight with the Akatsuki, but he hadn't known how vast that power was until this very moment.

"Sasuke? Is something wrong?"

Turning back to his parents, who had turned questioning looks on him, particularly Fugaku, who must have seen the arrival and departure of the phantom, Sasuke graced them with a smile. "Oh, nothing. One of the resident phantoms just spotted me and wanted to ask a question, is all. So, where do you want to go next? The library is rather close and it doesn't close for another hour. If you want, I could introduce you to Iruka; he's the librarian there."

"I heard from that lovely old man who owns the Inn that there's a wonderful little beach around here somewhere," Mikoto suggested with a twinkle in her eye. "Could you perhaps take us to that?"

Nervously, Sasuke bit his lip. "I don't think that would the best idea…"

"Why not?" Fugaku asked, but his expression told Sasuke he already suspected what his answer would be.

"That beach has a resident draugr named Gaara. He's not strictly volatile right now, but we did have a bit of a conflict at the beginning of the summer. I don't think he would be a problem, but I'd still rather not chance it." Sasuke folded his arms over his chest subconsciously, knowing it was what his father had expected to hear, and also what he would say next.

"And why haven't you dealt with this draugr yet?"

"One of the phantoms took a liking to him, and he's managed to mellow him out slightly," Sasuke explained nervously, knowing it wasn't the answer his father wanted to hear. "Like I said before, there's a strange sense of community among the ghosts here; I didn't want to interfere with it and risk starting a chain reaction that would put things outside of my control."

"Hmm." This time, Fugaku was definitely displeased with his son's answer, but he still didn't remark on it. "Well, unless anyone has any other ideas, I guess it's the library."

Relieved that the conflict hadn't escalated beyond that one disapproving look, Sasuke nodded perhaps a little too enthusiastically. "I think you'll really love it; the architecture is really old and beautiful."

"Well, I for one am always interested in architectural flair," Mikoto said delicately, touching her husband on the shoulder. "After you, Sasuke, dear."

* * *

Iruka looked up from behind the desk when Sasuke walked in with his parents, a smile breaking across his scarred face. "Sasuke! Nice to see you again! You haven't been in the past week or so; how've you been?"

 _Hallucinating_ , his ever-so-helpful mind supplied, but Sasuke quickly overrode it. "Busy. A friend of the family came up to see me this past week, so I've been showing him around."

Iruka practically beamed at him. "Well, aren't you a gracious host? I must say, it's nice to see you back here. I don't get much in the way of visitors, after all." His gaze traveled past Sasuke to the couple still in the doorway, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Are those…?"

"My parents? Yeah. They just got here."

Immediately, Iruka jumped up from behind his desk and sprang to greet the couple, reaching forward to shake each of their hands vigorously. "It's an honor to meet the parents of such a well-behaved child, Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha! Your son speaks very highly of you."

Sasuke had to stifle a snort at Iruka's obviously see-through behavior, but Mikoto only beamed and even Fugaku gave him a stiff smile.

"Please," Mikoto said, "call me Mikoto, Mr…?"

"Just Iruka," Iruka said with a smile.

WIth a grunt, Fugaku awkwardly clasped Iruka's hand in his own. "Fugaku, please."

"Of course!" Iruka beamed at both of them. "What brings you here today?"

"Oh, our son was just showing us some of the places he's spent time at this summer, and he suggested I might like this library," Mikoto said with bright eyes. "Tell me, Iruka, what is this architectural style? It's absolutely gorgeous."

"You like architecture?" Iruka looked positively ecstatic that he had a captive and willing audience for a lecture, especially when Mikoto nodded her assent. "Well, this used to be a personal home built in the nineteenth century, like most of the older buildings around here, but my father purchased it in the eighties and turned it into this library. When he retired several years ago, I took over the business and renovated the building myself, giving it the appearance it has now."

"How fascinating!" Mikoto cast an appreciative eye over the inside of the building. "May we take a look around?"

"Of course! That is what it's here for, after all."

"Excellent! Come along, dear." Mikoto grabbed onto Fugaku's arm and dragged him to the back of the library, where she proceeded to coo over the wallpaper.

"Sorry, about that," Sasuke said, taking a step forward to stand next to Iruka. "They're a bit eccentric."

"Not at all. Believe me, I've had worse people in here." With a knowing smile, Iruka turned to Sasuke. "So, was showing them the architecture really the only reason you brought them here?"

"Sometimes it makes me nervous how well you can see through me." Sasuke drew a large scrapbook from his satchel and handed it to Iruka. "This belongs here, I think. I guess it turned out to be Tenten who snuck it into my bag."

Iruka closed his hand around the binding of the scrapbook. "I'm just glad it's being returned to its rightful place. Thank you, Sasuke."

"You're welcome." A twinge of guilt swept through Sasuke. "And I want to thank you for… you know…"

"The intentional misleading and blatant lies I just told your parents?" Iruka's eyes twinkled when Sasuke winced at the words. "Don't worry; I picked up enough from your explanation yesterday to know the events of this summer are something you'd rather keep from them, but I think I would like a few questions answered sometime. Who knows," he added with an even brighter twinkle in his eye, "if you send them to me in writing, I might even add them to our collection."

Sasuke felt a blush stain his cheeks. "How did you…?"

"There's no secrets in a town as small as Konoha," Iruka replied with a gentle smile. "When you get ready to face that dream of yours, all of us here back in Konoha will be rooting for you."

A ball of warmth settled in Sasuke's stomach, and he grasped Iruka's arm. "Thank you, Iruka. You don't know what that means to me."

"I hope I do. Words don't mean much without anything behind them." Iruka reached up and clapped Sasuke on the shoulder. "You'll do great things, kid."

"I don't know if I will, but I'll certainly try."

"That's all you have to do."

Their conversation was interrupted from behind by Sasuke's mother's exuberant voice. "Sasuke, this place is amazing! It's no wonder you spent so much time here!"

"Yes, it is quite unique, isn't it?" Sasuke answered, turning around and slipping effortlessly into the conversation his parents were having. Behind him, Iruka busied himself about his desk, carefully slipping the scrapbook Sasuke had returned to him into a drawer, safely out of sight.

"See?" Mikoto clung to her husband's arm and gave his bicep a little pat. "I told you it was worth it coming out here, even if we were only staying a day."

All the air escaped Sasuke in a single breath as he froze, his lungs turning to a solid mass and the shards of ice from earlier returning to slice up the tender tissue inside them. When he finally managed to speak, the words that escaped his mouth were so cold, he was surprised his breath wasn't visible, flowing over his lips like a chilling mist. "Y-you're leaving? So soon?" He asked, terrified that his question would be refuted. _Please let him say yes. It's got to be a yes!_

But Fugaku shook his head. "No, Sasuke. _We're_ leaving. You're coming with us."

A smile stretched across Sasuke's face instinctively, his subconscious trying to hide his feelings from his father, but the grin only succeeded in pulling the skin of his lips back over his teeth hard enough that he felt his bottom lip split and a bead of blood trail down his chin. "But… but why? We still have two whole weeks left on our reservation. You… you never even got to see the downtown! Or the harbor! Or… Or…"

He trailed off, realizing how desperate he sounded, and clenched his fists when he saw his mother's pitying expression. She wasn't allowed to pity him, damnit! He was an Uchiha!

But so was she, even if only by marriage.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke asked again, "Why?"

Fugaku cast a glance behind Sasuke at the man behind the library counter, then gestured to the door. "I'd rather not air our business in front of the general public, Sasuke. If you would."

His face closing completely off, Sasuke turned on his heel and strode to the library door, pausing only long enough to call, "Have a nice day, Iruka," before leaving without waiting for a response. Fugaku inclined his head sharply in Iruka's direction before turning and striding after his son, his wife following along close behind. As he watched them go, Iruka sighed. Whatever was going to go down, it wouldn't be pretty on either side.

* * *

Sasuke knew his parents had expected him to stop shortly after leaving the library, but he instead led them all the way back to the Hokage before turning around to face them. "Well? Ready to tell me now?"

"This is why I didn't want to tell him until later," Fugaku muttered. "I knew he'd react like this."

"Sorry, dear. That one was my fault." Mikoto hung her head.

"I'm standing right here!" Sasuke snapped, folding his arms over his chest. "You could at least _pretend_ to know I can hear you!"

"Sasuke, dear, don't you think you're overreacting a little?" Mikoto sighed, placing her hand on Fugaku's shoulder. "Being obstinate doesn't become you."

Gritting his teeth Sasuke spat, "I think I have a right to be upset when you lie to me!"

"Lie?" Mikoto cast him a hurt look. "We never lied to you, Sasuke!"

"No, you just purposefully withheld something you knew would make me angry. Totally different thing."

"Sasuke!" Fugaku took a step forward, stabbing his finger in the center of Sasuke's chest, and Sasuke got the feeling that if they were behind closed doors instead of outside, his father would have slapped him across the face. "Do not talk to your mother that way!"

This was the father Sasuke remembered, the father he had in turns feared, loved, and hated since the incident eight years ago. A strange sense, almost like a guilty relief, settled in the pit of Sasuke's stomach. As much as he had enjoyed the brief familial connection they had shared, it wasn't them. His father was much easier to deal with when he could be vilified. It stopped the irrepressible guilt that would rip through Sasuke's consciousness when he defied him.

Bowing his head to give the impression of apologeticness, Sasuke said, "I'm sorry; I was just… surprised. I understand that you want me to come back with you, but why? Why such an abrupt change of plans?"

"Because…" Fugaku started, then trailed off, leaving Sasuke to look up in surprise. His father was _never_ at a loss for words.

"Because what?" He pressed, watching the rare play of emotions across his father's face before it hardened.

"Because we'd like you close to home for now. You weren't answering your phone, so we had to come out and get you."

 _Good job turning this back on me_ , Sasuke's mind supplied spitefully, but he shook it off. "But why? Did something happen?"

"No…" Fugaku said, looking slightly uncomfortable, which told Sasuke he was following the right line of questioning. "Not yet."

"But something might happen?"

Fugaku's hand clenched into a fist at his side. "Damnit, Sasuke, can't you just do what I tell you without questioning it? This is for your safety as well as ours!"

Bowing his head, Sasuke backed off, uttering a respectful, "I understand. Sorry," but inwardly, his mind was whirling. What had happened? Whatever it was, it was large enough that it had caused his father to become sick with worry and race out to find him when he hadn't answered the phone. Did that mean someone had gotten hurt? No, Fugaku had said nothing had happened yet. So it was just rumors so far? Suddenly, a fist of ice closed over Sasuke heart as he remembered the Akatsuki. They'd be hungry and out for blood, and it had been an Uchiha who'd pissed them off. Would they have tried to get revenge on another member of his family?

Almost immediately, Sasuke dismissed the notion. The Akatsuki would be angry and likely would be a problem in the future, but they'd only left Konoha yesterday; the turnaround time was too quick for them to have accomplished anything of the magnitude necessary to worry Fugaku this much. What, then?

This was getting him nowhere. He needed more information.

Lowering his head once again, Sasuke asked, "I assume you've already made travel arrangements?"

Fugaku gave a single curt nod. "We're leaving on the train tomorrow to Boston, and we'll fly back home from there."

Inwardly, Sasuke made a face. He hated flying. There was a reason he'd taken the train all the way here. "Have you told Kakashi yet?"

A crease appeared between Fugaku's eyebrows as he frowned in confusion. "Who?"

"He's the owner of the Hokage."

"Oh, yes, him." Fugaku cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I'm going to cancel the rest of our reservation in person today. We'll need an early start tomorrow. You'd better go pack."

Trying to salvage the situation, Mikoto added, "And then maybe we can go out for dinner somewhere. How does that sound, Sasuke? You can tell us what the best place to eat around here is."

Sasuke gave his mother a bland smile. "Sure. I'd like that."

"Good! Then it's settled!" She said, clapping her hands excitedly. "Go pack now, and we'll meet back up for dinner at six! That sound good to you, dear?"

Nodding, Fugaku answered, "I should be done with the manager by then."

"I'll see you at six, then." Sasuke backed up a few steps, and when neither of his parents made any move to stop him, spun around and disappeared into the Hokage.

He managed to keep his rage in check as he stomped up the stairs, but it boiled over as soon as the door of his room was shut behind him.

"Fuck!" He shouted as loudly as he could, then immediately clapped a hand over his mouth when he realized where he was.

The surroundings weren't enough to keep Sasuke's anger down for long, and it soon bubbled out of him again in the form of a wildly thrown jar of rock salt taken from his bedside table. It shattered against the wall, spraying salt and shards of glass all over the floor. Wildly, almost uncontrollably, Sasuke followed its motion to the wall, banging his head against it and rearing back with his fist to follow, only to feel its progress stopped by a spectral hand.

"The wall's harder than you think. You'll hurt yourself."

Sasuke turned his cheek to press against the rough wood of the wall and looked at the phantom standing behind him. Naruto gave him a sad smile and let go of his hand, which he let tumble uselessly to his side.

"What's got you so riled up?"

"My parents want me to leave with them tomorrow," Sasuke answered tonelessly, feeling the roughness of the wooden wall scrape his cheek as he spoke.

"What?" Naruto's eyes grew wide. "I thought… I thought you were going to be here for the rest of the summer!"

"So did I, Naruto." Sasuke pushed himself away from the wall with both arms, letting his fists rest against the wood and his head hang down between. "So did I."

"Can't you just… I don't know, tell them you're staying longer, or something? They don't have any problem with leaving you alone here; they did it already-"

"That's not the issue, Naruto." With a sigh, Sasuke lifted his head up and took a step back from the wall, his shoes crunching in the mess of salt crystals and broken glass. "They're worried and want me with them. It's partially my fault for ignoring them, I suppose, but it's more than that." His eyes narrowed. "Something's wrong. And if I want to know what it is, I need to go with them."

"But… But…" Naruto looked on the verge of tears. "Aren't you over eighteen? You're not legally beholden to them anymore; you don't have to listen to them, you can stay-"

"It doesn't work like that anymore, Naruto." Turning around completely to face the phantom, Sasuke inclined his chin and crossed his arms over his chest. "I may be eighteen, but I'm still a dependant of my parents. I'm still living under their roof, covered by my father's health insurance, relying on money they've put away to pay for my college tuition- and I'd like to keep it that way."

"That's cowardly," Naruto spat, backing away.

"No, Naruto. It's sensible."

"So you're just going to do whatever Daddy Dearest tells you? Just like that?" As Naruto spoke, his hand transformed into trembling fists. "Don't tell me you _want_ to blindly do what he says?"

This time, it was Sasuke's turn for anger to turn his hands into fists. "Yes, I'm going to do as he asks, but not blindly! I follow his requests because I choose to do so!"

"You _choose_? Oh, that's rich! Tell me, Sasuke, if you _chose_ to follow the orders given you like a good little boy, why were you desecrating this room - _my home_ \- with such murder in your eyes?"

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke spat, "Just because I choose to do something, that doesn't mean I have to like it. The important thing is that _I chose it_."

"Ha!" Naruto pointed an accusatory finger at Sasuke. "You're just using the illusion of choice to avoid owning up to your own cowardice! Well, unfortunately for you, I'm not going to let you quiet your troubled subconscious with such cheap petty tricks!"

"Cheap petty tricks?" Sasuke's voice was rising in volume again, but he found he couldn't bring himself to care. "Says the person who's been using me to validate his existence the whole summer so he wouldn't feel as dead inside as his body is!"

Naruto froze as if the words themselves had been sharp daggers coated with a paralyzing poison, and something fractured behind his eyes. Sasuke immediately wished he could take the words back, then almost as immediately was glad he couldn't. Sometimes, there were things that needed to be said out loud, and taking them back would only cheapen their value.

"Using you?" Naruto asked with hollow eyes and voice. "Is that what you really think?"

"Haven't you been?"

Naruto's lips parted, trembling and silent, as his hands clutched at each other close to his chest. His mouth opened wider, as if to refute Sasuke, then froze and closed shut again. Without saying a word, he reached out and slapped Sasuke across the face, then whirled around and ran away, misting through the wall and disappearing before Sasuke had a chance to react.

Rubbing a hand over his sore cheek, Sasuke grimaced and leaned back against the wall. He'd been right - Naruto's reaction had proved it - but the knowledge didn't bring him any comfort. Leaning his head back to rest against the wall, he allowed his back to slide down the rough wooden surface until he sat down in the pile of salt and broken glass. A shard of glass dug painfully into his backside, harshly reminding him of other glass shards digging into his flesh. With a long-suffering sigh, Sasuke allowed his head to fall forward to rest against his knees.

Summer friendships, like summer romances, were never meant to last. This blowout between himself and Naruto and the subsequent separation were bound to happen sooner or later, and his father had turned out to be the catalyst that had changed it to the former. Sasuke had known this at the beginning, but somewhere along the way he'd forgotten it, or at least chosen to ignore it. A dull grimacing smile crept across Sasuke's hidden face. He should have seen this coming. There was really no other way it could have ended, really, besides heartbreak.

After spending a few more moments in contemplative silence, Sasuke pushed himself to his feet and dusted the salt and glass from his pants. He had packing to finish.


	42. Final Goodbyes

And here it is, the final official chapter of Spectral Eyes! Tomorrow will start the epilogues! I hope everyone has enjoyed the story thus far!

Addi out!

* * *

Unlike the day when Sasuke had arrived in Konoha, it was sunny the day he left, but the shafts of light winked blindingly through the windows of the train carriage and obscured the outside world just as well as the rain had. With a sigh, he leaned his head back against the seat cushion and closed his eyes. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, probably due to the conspicuous absence in the bed next to him. Trying not to think about that, he leaned his face towards the window and let the sun filter over his face, distracting himself with another memory from earlier this morning.

" _What you mean you're leaving?" Sakura almost wailed, flinging herself into Sasuke's embrace, who barely got his arms up in time to catch her haphazardly thrown body. "I thought you were staying for another few weeks, at least!"_

" _So did I," Sasuke answered, patting her awkwardly on the back as he gave an apologetic glance to Ino and Choji, who were standing roughly a few feet away. "But my parents want me to come back with them now, so I have to go."_

" _That royally sucks," Ino griped, crossing her arms over her chest with a petulant expression._

" _Yeah," Choji agreed, laying a comforting hand on her back. "We'd finally gotten used to seeing your ugly mug around here."_

 _Sakura only sniffled and clung to Sasuke tighter._

" _Look, guys," Sasuke said, trying to disentangle himself from Sakura, "It's not like I'm going halfway across the world or dying! I'm just going home for the rest of the summer. Either way, I would have had to leave eventually to go to college."_

" _Yeah, but this way we didn't get to give you a proper goodbye!" Sakura complained, finally letting go of Sasuke and swiping a hand across her eyes in an attempt to hide the tears forming there._

" _And what, pray tell, does_ that _entail? Going by that lovely initiation song you had me sing in front of the whole town, it would have been something truly terrifying."_

 _That drew a weak smile from Sakura. "It's not as bad as all that. We just would have made you come skinny dipping with us all at that lake- if we all didn't get traumatic flashbacks from just being in the place."_

" _Skinny dipping?" Sasuke shivered slightly. "Now I'm glad I missed it."_

" _Oh, come on, it's not all that bad," Choji laughed. "We do it every year. And besides, it's not like anyone can see anything in the water."_

" _Sasuke?" Fugaku called from the room over where he was stacking their luggage. "You ready? The taxi's waiting outside."_

 _A lump formed in Sasuke's throat as the fact he was leaving became suddenly very real, but he swallowed it down. "Coming," he called, though his feet didn't move from their spot on the carpet._

 _Almost in tandem, Kakashi's voice echoed from the hallway on the other side of the room Sasuke was standing in. "Choji? Why aren't you at your post?"_

" _Sorry, Kakashi!" Choji yelled, turning to leave. "Be right there!" He turned his head back one last time and gave Sasuke a sad smile and a wave before leaving the room, Ino following closely after. Her head down, Sakura made as if to follow them, but Sasuke reached out and caught her arm._

" _Wait, Sakura. Give me your phone?"_

 _Sakura frowned, but did as Sasuke asked. "Why?"_

 _Swiftly, Sasuke programed his own number into Sakura's list of contacts. "Here's my number. You can give it to Choji and Ino too. Don't be a stranger, okay?"_

 _Sakura blinked once in surprise, then a huge smile spread across her face and she engulfed him in a giant hug once again. "Course! I'll bug you all the time!"_

" _Well, let's not go that far." Sasuke pulled back from Sakura and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sakura, what grade are you this year?"_

 _Frowning, Sakura answered, "Senior. Why?"_

 _Nervously, Sasuke looked away, his cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink. "They say it's who you know that opens up the door, and what you know that keeps the door open. If you really want to be a doctor, I can try and help you with the first step."_

 _A few seconds of silence ticked by before Sasuke risked looking back to see Sakura's eyes shining as if they had been injected with pure starlight. "Would you really do that?"_

 _Shifting self-consciously, Sasuke scratched the back of his head. "I mean, I can't promise anything, but my father's friends with this guy who runs a scholarship program for pre-med students and I can ask him for the application materials… There's always stuff available if you know where to look for it, and I do because the hospital my father runs partners with a lot of them in my area… I can't make anyone accept you, you have to do that yourself, but I can show you how to apply-"_

 _His words were cut off as Sakura enveloped him in a third bone-crushing hug. "Thank you," she whispered against his chest. "You don't know how much that means to me."_

 _From the other room, Fugaku called again, "Sasuke? You coming?"_

" _And that's my cue," Sasuke said with a sigh. "Keep in touch, okay?"_

 _The smile Sakura gave him was practically blinding. "You can count on it."_

Smiling softly to himself, Sasuke let his head tilt back from the window and opened his eyes. Keeping that promise to Sakura would take a lot of work, but it was work he gladly undertook. Sakura had been a better friend than he could have ever asked for over the summer, and he felt that it was only right to pay her back in some way. He let his head tilt toward the window in time to catch a flash of gold in the otherwise green sunlit expanse.

Gold?

His interest piqued, Sasuke leaned forward to get a better look out the window, and what he saw completely floored him. Like a glittering angel, his soft golden hair drifting about his head like a gentle halo, Naruto was standing in the middle of a field of high grass the train was passing, the seedheads adorning the tall stems brushing the tops of his shoulders. Sasuke's heartbeat began to quicken in his breast, and he immediately pulled back from the window with a hand pressed over his pounding heart, staunchly refusing to look at the green field. _He's not there, he's not there,_ he chanted mentally, squeezing his eyes shut. _It's just your mind playing tricks on you because you're upset he didn't say goodbye to you._

 _I know I threw a lot of shit at you before, but I swear that one ain't me,_ Sasuke's mind retorted, but he snapped at it, _Oh, shut up. You don't know what you're talking about._ Then he realized how stupid it was to have a discussion with his own mind, and he drew his lips back in a slight snarl.

 _Just a trick of the light and your tired brain,_ Sasuke repeated mentally, nodding to himself. _That's it. If you look again, he'll be gone._

Seeking to prove it to himself, Sasuke nodded one last time and opened his eyes, expecting the vision of Naruto surrounding by tall grasses in a field to be replaced with a more mundane one. He was half right; the vision of Naruto in a field was gone, but it was replaced with Naruto's face inches away from Sasuke's on the other side of the glass.

Jumping away from the window as if he'd been shocked, Sasuke let out an entirely unmanly noise and nearly fell out of his seat. On the other side of the train carriage, across the aisle, Mikoto leaned toward him with a concerned expression.

"Sasuke? Are you alright?"

"I- I'm fine," he gasped, looking back and forth between his mother and the ghost outside the train. "I… I just dozed off and hit my head on the window, that's all."

"Hmm." Mikoto gave him a disapproving matronly look. "Well, try to be more careful, alright? We don't want to disturb the other passengers."

"I'll be more careful," he promised, then turned back to the window, grateful that his father had chosen that particular moment to go for a bathroom break so the only witness to his ungraceful moment was his mother, who was blind to the phantom outside the train window.

 _What are you doing here?_ He mouthed to Naruto, who flushed at the question.

He muttered something, but through the glass and metal of the train and the rush of the wind outside, the words were lost, and Sasuke shook his head in confusion. Blushing even harder, Naruto mouthed more deliberately, _You left before I could say goodbye._

A feeling of warmth flooded Sasuke, and he laid a hand against the glass with a smile. Instantly, Naruto mirrored him, laying his hand opposite his through the glass, and Sasuke thought he could feel the phantom pressure from the spectral hand.

 _I'm sorry-_ Sasuke started to mouth, but Naruto cut him off with a shake of his head.

 _No, I'm sorry._

A feeling of unease started to grow in Sasuke. _Naruto, the town border is coming up soon…_

Naruto gave one short nod, but otherwise ignored the statement. _Quiet. I got something to say. You were right, Sasuke, that's why I got scared and ran away._

 _Naruto, you don't have to-_

 _But I do. Sasuke, I-_

Then, as suddenly as he'd appeared, he was gone. Logically, Sasuke knew what had happened, that the train had passed out of reach of Naruto's haunting grounds and he'd been forced to stay behind while Sasuke had traveled on, but it still felt like the ghost had been snatched away from him. As he craned his neck to look backwards out the window, trying to find a final speck of gold amidst the fields of greens and browns, Sasuke felt rather than heard the seat creak under him, signalling the return of his father.

"Did you see something, Sasuke?"

Leaning back from the window, Sasuke settled back against his seat and closed his eyes. "I thought I did, but it was probably just my imagination."

Fugaku's heavy hand settled in Sasuke's hair. "You look tired. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Not really."

"Well, we have a few hours before we get to the next stop, so you can take a nap, alright?" Fugaku's hand ruffled Sasuke's hair slightly before withdrawing. "I'll wake you up when we get close."

"Thanks," Sasuke muttered, but he knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep. His mind was too awake.

 _Sasuke, I-_

He hadn't heard the last thing Naruto had said, but somehow, Sasuke got the feeling he knew what it was without having to be told.

 _Me too, Naruto. Me too._

A small smile gracing his lips, Sasuke leaned his head back and settled in for the long ride.

It was many miles away, in the center of a busy city, where Pein finally stopped to let his companions catch their breath. They'd born the brunt of the fighting while he'd barely lifted a finger, so he had to acknowledge their efforts with a little gratitude, especially since both Tobi and Hidan had lost their main weapons. Yes, they'd been defeated, but not injured - except for Hidan, but he didn't count since he actually enjoyed it, the freak - so Pein saw no reason to do away with them as he'd done away with Zetsu. After all, there weren't so many ghostly serial killers out there that he could replace them willy-nilly.

Turning around to survey his followers, Pein asked, "Alright, lads - and Deidara-"

"Fuck… you…" Deidara panted.

"-how are you all holding up? Need anything?"

Tobi raised a hand into the air and started jumping up and down like an overenthusiastic child in a classroom waiting to be called on by the teacher. Pein inwardly sighed; sometimes he just couldn't stand that little brat, but he was a good fighter and had a mind even more twisted than Pein's own, so he wasn't about to let the kid go off on his own.

"Yes, Tobi?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tobi pointed an excited finger at a toy store across the street from where they were standing. "Can I go and get something new to play with? Can I? Can I? _Please!?_ "

Passing a hand in front of his face to stop himself from snapping at the child, Pein answered, "Sure, Tobi. Go get a new weapon. I think everyone else could use a breather."

"Yay! Thanks, Pein!"

Tobi took off like a shot for the toy store, leaving Pein to cast his eye over the two remaining members of his party. Deidara looked fine, if a little worn out, but Hidan's condition was beginning to worry him. He knew the ghost was a huge masochist and loved experiencing pain, especially if it was silver induced, but this time he might have overdone it. There was a slap happy expression on his face, like he was slightly intoxicated, as thick blood dripped from the numerous wounds on his chest and arms. Wounds that, by now, should have healed. The hole on his forehead from where the bullet had struck him had already closed up, but the flap of cheek missing from his face had yet to regrow itself, showing off his clenched teeth and jawbone.

"You holding up alright there, Hidan?" There was no concern in Pein's voice, only a dull boredom one might get when checking on the functionality of a household appliance.

Instead of answering, Hidan tried to take a step forward but tripped and landed on his hands and knees. It was late, late enough that all the tourists had gone home but not late enough that the streets were completely deserted, so when Hidan gagged and threw up the silver bullet he'd swallowed earlier, along with a substantial amount of blood, the mess landed directly in the path of a woman walking down the sidewalk, splattering up onto her shoes.

The woman fell backwards onto the ground, her horrified gaze affixed to the fetid puddle soiling her shoes. For a few seconds, she looked around, even glancing upwards, to see where the blood might have come from, only to return her gaze to Hidan's unseen position just at the moment when he retched up a second offering of blood, this time directly on her shoes. Now the woman screamed, scrambling backwards across the asphalt to try and get away. She tried to stand up, but the slick filth on her shoes and the sidewalk made her skid and fall back to the ground again. A cry escaped her as she caught the brunt of her fall on her right wrist, which gave a dreadful snapping sound upon impact.

Pein paid no mind to the woman, instead keeping his gaze trained on Hidan. "Looks like you overdid it there."

Gasping, Hidan pushed himself up onto his knees. "I'm fine," he wheezed, a mad look in his eye. "I feel _amazing_! I just… need… a moment to… catch my… breath…"

"Hm. Is that so?" Pein regarded Hidan for a moment, his whole body trembling from the effort of throwing up the bullet. "It looks to me like you would need more than a moment."

"More than a moment… might be better…"

Pein watched silently for a moment as Hidan gasped and wheezed, every breath sounding worse than the one before it, in front of the terrified woman now cradling her damaged wrist. He hated to lose two of his companions in a single day, but he had the feeling that this was something even Hidan would have a hard time bouncing back from.

"Hidan," Pein announced suddenly, "I am sorry, but I'm afraid that your usefulness has now been surpassed by your injuries. It pains me to do this because you've been with me for so long, but rules are rules and I can't make any exceptions, even for you. Deidara?"

Deidara immediately snapped to attention. "Yes, sir?"

"Burn him."

A cruel smile spread across Deidara's face. "Right away, sir."

Pein had time to witness the look of barely registering shock on Hidan's face before his entire body burst into a column of flame. It was over in less than a second.

The woman on the sidewalk, clearly having reached her level of tolerance for the supernatural, had fainted dead away on the pavement when the fire roared to life in front of her. Pein wrinkled his nose in distaste; she was the kind of woman he hated most, with her fancy shoes and her nice nails and her high-strung disposition, the kind that led to frequent faints. She was the kind of woman he had enjoyed killing in life.

Pein decidedly turned his back from the woman. She was not the prey he was after now.

There was a crash from the toy store across the street as Tobi smashed his way through the front window, flying across the street to join Pein and Deidara.  
"I'm back!" He called excitedly, his arms full of matchbox cars. "And I found some new toys!"

Pein managed to turn around to face him with a tight smile on his face. "Good job, Tobi. New jacks?"

"No, cars!" Tobi held them up for Pein's inspection, then the smile slipped off his face. "Hey, where's Hidan?"

"Gone."

That was all Pein needed to say. A look of understanding dawned on Tobi's face, then quickly changed to jealousy. "You let Deidara do him, didn't you? No fair! I want to kill someone too!"

"Too bad, baby-brain. You snooze, you loose!"

Tobi turned to appeal to Pein. "It's not fair that Deidara got to kill Hidan without me! It's just not fair!"

"Fine!" Pein rubbed his hand over his temple. He was starting to get a headache. "You can kill the woman. How does that sound?"

"Yay! Thank you so much, Pein!" Tobi immediately turned around and tossed the matchbox cars into the air, then spun them around his head in a close orbit while making childish engine noises with his mouth. As they spun about his head faster and faster, he raised his hands up high, then suddenly brought them down. One after the other, the cars shot like speeding bullets towards the woman, sinking into her flesh. The first one targeted her throat, then the others punched into her chest and abdomen, crunching through bone to target and destroy the delicate organs underneath. The woman convulsed as Tobi made the tires of the cars spin, tearing the deep wounds into gaping holes, before falling silent and still.

With a gleeful giggle, Tobi reclaimed his cars, cleaning the drops of blood off of them with a wave of his hands. "Say, Pein, that was really fun!" He exclaimed, looking expectantly up and down the street. "Can I do it again? Can I? Can I? _Please?!_ "

"No, Tobi. Deidara only got one, so you only get one too."

Tobi's lips protruded in a childish pout. "Oh, poop." Then he brightened again. "Hey, Pein, are we going to try and find someone to replace Hidan and Zetsu? Are we going to make some new friends?"

At that moment, Pein noticed something fluttering out of the corner of his eye. It was a newspaper, caught under the edge of a nearby public trashcan. The headline on the front cover read: _**Corrupt NYC Tax Attorney Accused of 7 Murders Found Dead in His Office.**_

"Yes, Tobi, we are going to get a new friend. And I know just where to find him. Fall in, lad - and Deidara-"

"Fuck you."

"-we've got some ground to cover. Next stop, New York City."

This time, Pein wouldn't let himself fail so easily. This time, he had a concrete plan.

When that Uchiha had fought, he'd separated his spirit from his body, for as willingly as he seemed to part with it, under the assumption that he could return to it. But, for those few minutes body and spirit had been separated, Pein had been certain that the Uchiha's body had been dead.

This time would be different. This time, he would beat those blasted Uchihas and Hyuugas and learn their secrets. He swore it.


	43. Epilogue Part 1: Neji's Epilogue

And here it is: the promised first part of the three-part epilogue! Stay tuned either tomorrow or the next day for the conclusion to another charactor's tale... or perhaps the start of a new story.

Addi out!

* * *

Neji's Epilogue

Hinata had slept most of the bus ride down to the airport, but Neji had found that his mind was too full to let him relax enough to fall asleep. The scene from earlier kept running through his head, almost real enough for him to taste the rain and smell the crisp night air. The breath of a cool breeze, the delicate dance of shadows against skin, spun back to him in tantalizing shards of memory as beautiful as they were sharp, making Neji glad when the ride finally ended and he could distract himself by rousing Hinata from her slumber and dragging her through the eerily empty security line.

There was almost no one else in the airport when Neji found their hate and sat down with Hinata, who promptly fell back asleep, but then again, it was absurdly early in the morning on a weekday, and, since it was a small airport, no other flights scheduled to go out for another two hours. Neji and Hinata had another four hours to wait, something she'd initially griped about upon learning that she might have had a few extra hours of sleep, but had given in gracefully when Neji had told her the next train wouldn't have left them with enough time to make it through security before their flight. She'd accepted this without complaint or questions, some Neji was glad for, since, while it was true, he'd also had another motive: to get out of Konoha before Shikamaru could get the chance to recharge and find him. He realized it was probably selfish of him, but Neji had already said goodbye to Shikamaru once and no desire to do it a second time, especially in front of Hinata.

With a sigh, Neji pulled out his phone and opened up his email. As he'd expected, the work he'd been ignoring for the past week had piled up into an almost insurmountable amount of organization. A gloomy feeling twisting down the corner of his lips, Neji settled down and got to work.

Unlike the Uchiha family, who preferred to fight their way through situations as they came, the Hyuuga were observers and preferred to find and watch situations in their infancy, often stepping in before a problem arose and only engaging in combat when no other option was available. Neji knew that while the two family's philosophies were very different, they were still sister families, treating each other like distant cousins, and often called upon each other for help, like Sasuke had done with him and Neji's uncle, Hinata's father, had done with Sasuke's father. More often than not, Uchiha and Hyuuga worked together in groups rather than apart, their individual gifts playing off each other more effectively than either one would be alone. Of course, since both he and Sasuke were very young by the standards of their family, neither had been on one of these joint venture before, so this experiment this summer had been exactly that on Neji's part: an experiment to see if he could work with the Uchiha boy without wanting to strangle him. He wasn't sure if Sasuke had passed or not. Or even if he had himself.

Then again, with the Hyuuga method of "nipping things in the bud" rather than "we'll fix it once there's a problem" like the Uchihas came a substantially larger amount of organization and paperwork. Paperwork. Hateful paperwork. That was Neji's job, collecting all the reports from all the far branches of the Hyuuga family and organizing them so they could be analyzed for patterns of spectral activity that could mean problems in the future. He was also asked to do much of that analyzing himself, but since a thousand reports might go by before one with something important came into him, he had to be on edge constantly, knowing that his call might be the one to save lives, but that the call was so rare that he might make one every three years. And yet, he still had to read every report as if it was the one that pointed to a potentially dangerous situation. It was a merciless, thankless job and Neji hated his uncle for dumping it on him at such an early age.

Between the wait before the plane ride and the two flights it took him and Hinata to get back to Seattle, Neji had almost finished all the work he had abandoned. With only a few reports left to file, he sighed, sent a single text message to an already ongoing conversation that read _I'm here_ , and slipped his phone into his pocket. At his side, Hinata yawned - she'd slept through most of the last flight, even though she'd slept for hours in the first airport and through most of the first flight - and slipped her hand into his.

"Are we going home now, Neji?" She asked, delicately hiding another yawn behind a raised hand.

"Not quite. I have something to do, but I can call a taxi for you if you want me to..."

Hinata immediately perked up, interested in what he was saying. "Oooh, what? Can I come too?"

"Well…" Neji hesitated. He hadn't told Hinata - or any of the other Hyuugas - about his hobby or the friends that came with it. It wasn't as if what they were doing was illegal, it was just that he didn't think his uncle would think highly of how he chose to spend his time. "I suppose you could if you want to. Some friends of mine are coming to pick me up and I'm sure they'd have an extra seat if you wanted to come. Just… promise not to tell your father, okay?"

A delicate frown graced Hinata's mouth. "Why? What are you doing? It's not bad, is it?"

"No," Neji quickly assured her, craning his head as he caught sight of a familiar beat up minivan racing towards them. "It's just a little hard to explain, is all."

The phone in Neji's pocket buzzed, and he pulled it out to see _So are we!_ scrolling across it in big letters. Shaking his head, he replied, _I know. I can see you. That miserable piece of junk is impossible to mistake._

A few seconds later, the minivan rolled to a stop in front of them and two people jumped out. The first was a young woman with red hair who jumped on Neji without warning, squealing how happy she was to see him, and the second was a tall, dark-haired boy in his late teen years, who immediately pointed an accusatory finger at him and declared, "My car is not a piece of junk, thank you very much!"

"Could have fooled me, Konohamaru," Neji said with a grin as he pushed the girl, Moegi, off of him. "Moegi, please; I do need to breathe."

"Alright!" With a laugh, Moegi released Neji and grabbed his suitcase instead, throwing it the back of the minivan. "And I'm digging the hair!"

Neji sniffed as he realized that his hair was still tucked up in the loose bun he'd used to keep it contained after his close escapades with nature, but otherwise ignored the comment.

"You're cutting it close, Neji," a third voice called from inside the car, and Neji looked inside to see Udon at the steering wheel.

"Udon? You're driving?" He asked in surprise. "I'm surprised Konohamaru let you touch his baby."

"Konohamaru drives too slow!" Moegi giggled, sticking her head around from the back where she was packing Neji's luggage. "We never would have made it in time!"

"Of course I would have!"

"Please, Konohamaru. You lost a drag race to your grandmother!"

"THAT WAS FOUR YEARS AGO!"

This pleasant banter was interrupted by a slight whimper from behind Neji, and everyone looked back to see Hinata backing up slowly, fear in her eyes. "N-N-Ne-j-j-ji…"

"Oh? And who is this?" Konohamaru leaned around to get a better look at Hinata, but the Hyuuga girl just shuffled further behind her cousin.

"This is Hinata, my cousin," Neji answered for her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder that she immediately melted into. "She's a little bit shy, so-"

He was cut off as Moegi rushed past him and grabbed Hinata up in a hug. "Oh, she's so adorable!" She cooed as she swung Hinata around in a circle. "Why have you never brought her before, Neji?"

"Because she's shy," Neji said through gritted teeth as he rescued his now traumatized younger cousin from Moegi's clutches. Hinata grasped onto Neji's shirtfront, shaking harder than a leaf in a stiff breeze.

"A-a-are th-these p-p-peop-p-ple y-your f-fr-friends, N-Ne-j-ji?" Hinata managed to ask through her stutter, which got exponentially worse the more people were being loud around her.

"Yes, they are." Neji shot a glare at his friends that told them they had better be more careful around his cousin unless they wanted a pounding from him. "You don't have to come with us if you're uncomfortable; I can call a taxi and have them take you home-"

"N-no," Hinata interrupted, surprising Neji. "I want t-to c-come with you."

Glancing up at Konohamaru, Neji asked, "Is that alright? Is there enough seats?"

"Dude, there's always enough seats in the ride to the Love Shack!" Konohamaru exclaimed with a goofy grin. "She's more than welcome!"

"L-l-love Sh-shac-k?" Hinata squeaked in terror, the look in her eyes making it clear that she was already regretting her decision.

"He's just referencing a song, Hinata. I know you don't listen to that kind of music." Neji fixed a glare on Konohamaru. "As someone else would do well to remember."

But Konohamaru only shrugged. "Be more chill and it won't make you so upset. Everyone needs a tunication."

"A w-wh-what?"

"Education of tunes. He means he thinks you should listen to some of his terrible choices in music," Neji translated, shuffling Hinata toward the minivan as Moegi stowed her suitcase in the back of the vehicle.

"It's not terrible music! You listen to it too, Neji!"

Neji ignored the jibe and gave Hinata a hand into the back of the minivan, then slid in after her. Moegi jumped in after them and Konohamaru once again claimed the passenger seat, and they were off as soon as the last door was shut, before Neji and Hinata even had time to do up their seat belts.

Turning around in the front seat to look into the interior of the van and completely ignoring his seat belt, Konohamaru flashed Hinata another silly grin. "So, little Neji's cousin, what kind of music do you like?"

Hinata flushed, but managed to stutter out an answer. "I l-l-like old-d m-music, l-like Handel."

"Handel?" Konohamaru wrinkled his nose. "You're a Baroque fan?"

"She likes cultured music, Konohamaru," Neji interjected, settling a hand on Hinata's shoulder protectively. "And put on your seat belt!"

Konohamaru made a face, but did as he was bid. "Oh, yeah, as cultured as that stupid violin you used to play?"

"That was a viola, Konohamaru."

Moegi cut off Konohamaru's sputtering reply by leaning in front of him. "So, do you want to eventually play with us, Hinata?"

"P-p-pl-play?" Hinata stuttered even harder, her eyes growing almost impossibly wide. "Wh-wh-what d-do you m-mean?"

"She's not going to play with us," Neji answered for her, giving Moegi a look that she completely ignored. "She's just here to spectate."

"S-sp-spec-c-t-ta-te?" Hinata started to shake. "Wh-wh-what are you d-d-doing, N-Ne-j-ji?"

"Nothing bad, I promise you." Neji leaned down and pressed a swift reassuring kiss to Hinata's forehead. "You'll see when we get there."

* * *

Three quarters of an hour later, Neji stood in front of a mirror adjusting a hot pink tie underneath his collar. The four of them, plus Hinata, had piled out of the minivan as soon as it had parked in the backlot of a bar, which had Hinata looking scandalized, then run into a back room. Again, Hinata had looked scandalized as Moegi had handed Neji a shopping bag of clothes and they all proceeded to change in front of each other, and was no less confused by the clothes they were wearing. They all put on matching outfits: black dress pants - or a black ankle-length pencil skirt in Moegi's case - and button up black dress shirts, complete with matching ties in an array of colors. Neji, through some stroke of illicit luck or design, had managed to draw the short straw on the hot pink tie.

"Remind me again why I have to wear the pink one?" He grumbled as he finished adjusting it below his collar and attached his tie clip, the one he wore every time they did something like this.

"Because you didn't answer my question when I asked you what color you wanted," Moegi replied from across the room where she was tying her own deep purple tie. "You snooze, I choose a tie for you."

Udon looked up from unbuttoning the buttons of his shirt that he'd buttoned out of line. "Real men wear pink, Neji."

"Says the guy wearing the green tie. The manly green tie."

Shrugging, Udon flipped his brilliant emerald green tie over his shoulder to better get at his buttons. "There can only be one real man. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made."

Konohamaru snorted from where he was tying on his sickly orange tie, a color no one tried to take from him ever because no one wanted it, and they were afraid of the exuberance with which Konohamaru did. "If there's only one real man here, it's gotta be me. Neji looks just about as gay as they come."

"We've been over this, Konohamaru: having long hair does not make me g-" Neji abruptly cut off as an image of heated shadows assaulted his memory, causing a shiver to go down his spine. Abruptly breaking eye contact with his friends, Neji turned away. "Forget it. I don't want to have this conversation."

Avoiding the four sets of curious eyes, Neji fidgeted with his already perfectly tied tie and hoped that his actions didn't look too transparent. Luckily, a reprieve came in the form of a woman opening up the door and sticking her head through the crack.

"Anyone still left in here- hey, Neji, you made it!"

"Yeah, I did," Neji answered with a grateful smile, turning towards the woman. "How are you, Kurenai?"

"Better now that you're here!" She exclaimed with a relieved smile. "I thought we were going to have to go on without our star tenor!"

Smiling a little, Neji tried to shrug off the praise. "Moegi could handle it on her own-"

"No way!" Moegi snuck up behind Neji and grabbed him in a stealthy hug. "It's totally different playing without you! I mean, sure, I could have done it, but it sounds totally different when you're not here!"

Drawn by the commotion, another head poked itself into the back room. "Ah, Neji!" Asuma said with a grin, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. "Great to have you back! How was the east coast?"

"To sunny," Neji answered truthfully. "I missed the rain."

 _Except for the one night it did rain,_ his mind whispered snidely, but Neji pushed it aside.

"Really?" Udon pulled a tissue from his pocket and blew his nose loudly. "I would have thought a break from the clouds would have been nice."

 _There was plenty of clouds, even when it wasn't raining._

"I know the rain," Neji said out loud, ignoring the jabs of his subconscious. "It reminds me of home."

"Glad to know you think so much of our humble city," Asuma said with a laugh, "but are you ready? We go on in twenty."

Neji and Moegi's eyes widened in tandem. "Twenty?" He asked incredulously as Moegi ran from him to a stack of large, oddly shaped black boxes leaning against the wall, crying, "My reed!"

"Ha! Woodwinds," Konohamaru sneered, pushing his chest. " _We_ don't have to suck on those stupid things like you do!"

"But you do have to warm up," Kurenai warned pointedly, her verbal dart puncturing Konohamaru's enlarged chest and deflating it. "Make sure you're ready to play by eight, or else."

"Yes, Kurenai," Konohamaru answered dejectedly, moving to follow Moegi to the row of black boxes.

"Good. And the same goes for all of you," Kurenai said, pointing a threatening finger around the room at each of its occupants until it fell on Hinata, who looked like she had shrunk herself down as small as she could and plastered herself against the wall to avoid any notice. "Who's this?"

"My cousin, Hinata," Neji clarified, walking to her and laying a comforting arm over her shoulders. "She's here to watch. Can you find her a place to sit, preferably closer to us? She's a bit shy."

Kurenai's face lit up. "Of course!" She exclaimed, gesturing for Hinata to join her. "I love it when we get new recruits!"

"I don't know about a new recruit, but she did want to see me play." Neji looked down at his cousin, who was now glued to his side and looked like the last thing she wanted to do was let go. "You don't mind, do you? I have to finish getting ready."

"I g-guess…" Hinata stuttered, and Neji pulled her in for a brief hug, kissing her forehead with delicate swiftness.

"You can do it," he whispered in her ear before he let her go, and she looked a little bit more confident as Kurenai took her arm and pulled her out of the room.

"So, Hinata, how old are you?" Kurenai asked as the two started down the hallway, Hinata's stuttering answer trailing after them.

"I-I'm s-s-six-t-t-teen…"

After they had gone, Asuma snapped his fingers as if he'd just remembered something. "Oh, and Neji, Moegi, before I forget, are you two good to do the Duel tonight?"

Neji and Moegi cast a single look at the other, identical grins stretching across their faces. "Of course!" They answered in unison, the words so natural they didn't have to think twice about it.

"Excellent!" Asuma beamed at the pair of them. "I'll go tell everyone else it's in the program. Make sure to be ready on time! There's fifteen minutes until we go on now."

"Shit!"

There was a frenzy of activity as all four musicians ran to their instrument cases leaning against the wall and cracked them open, revealing the gleaming brass, and in the case of Konohamaru's trumpet, shiny silver, of the instruments inside them. Asuma shook his head and left them to their hurried preparations. Moegi and Neji both stuck dry reeds in their mouths to soften them as they pulled out the pieces of their tenor saxophones and combined them into a single instrument. Next to them, Udon pushed the slide onto his trombone and slid it up and down a few times, checking to make sure it moved properly, and Konohamaru put his mouthpiece in his pocket to prewarm it as he checked the valves of his trumpet, and finding that one stuck, unscrewed it to lubricate it.

Neji allowed a smile to pull up the corners of his lips as he slid the now soft reed into the mouthpiece of his saxophone and screwed the bolts on either side of it tighter to hold it securely in place. He'd missed this.

* * *

Fourteen and a half minutes later, Neji and his three friends stood in line with the rest of their bandmates, ready to cram themselves onto the too-small stage the bar had offered them. They were a local act, a community jazz orchestra, in high demand from the local business owners who supplied their customers with entertainment for their originality, talent, and - let's face it - cheapness. This particular night, however, had been booked months ago for the bar's changing-of-hands party, and was one of the biggest events the group had ever played at. That was why Neji had rushed back; he couldn't let his friends down by missing such an important event.

Neji wasn't quite sure why he kept playing with the orchestra. Sure, he loved music and playing music, but he much prefered the classical aspect of it, like Hinata. The only thing he could think of was that he could be another person with them, a person his family could never know or understand. That wasn't to say that this person was the real Neji because it wasn't, just as the strict personality he had cultivated because of his upbringing wasn't the real him, but perhaps it was closer than he dared think. Whatever the reason, he'd joined the group three years ago, close after its formation, and he'd been playing with it underneath his family's noses ever since.

"You ready for this?" Moegi hissed quietly, bumping his shoulder lightly with the bell of her saxophone.

"Course," Neji answered with a grin. "I can't wait to play the Duel. It's been too long."

"I agree." Moegi adjusted the shoulder straps of the harness supporting the weight of her tenor, flashing him a delighted smile.

Since the jazz orchestra was such a tight-knit group, they made sure every separate section had a song that showed them off and they could call the shots on, and the Duel was the tenor's song because it featured a massive improvisational solo for the tenor saxophone. Back when Neji had been the only tenor, the song had been known simply as "Neji's song", but when Moegi had joined them as a second tenor player, the nickname had been changed to "The Duel" after the two tenors had decided, not to split the solo in half, but to improvise together. It had taken a lot of work to get a feel for each other's playing styles and a lot of effort on Neji's part getting used to sharing his spotlight, but now the Duel was one of the best and most requested songs they played.

"Shh!"

Neji felt something bump into his back, and he turned around to see Udon with his trombone slide extended.

"Not so loud! They'll hear you!" He hissed, but Moegi just roller her eyes in response.

"No one can hear us, Udon. We could all launch into the national anthem and I still doubt they'd hear us. I think you're overestimating people's ability to concentrate on things that don't concern them."

"And I think you're overestimating their ability to find fault in things, but that's just my opinion."

"Alright, children," Asuma cut in from behind them. "Cut it out, please. It's time."

"Awesome!" Konohamaru held up his hand, and all three of his friends dutifully slapped it in turn. "Let's do this!"

As the band filed onto the stage, they weren't met with applause, or any reaction at all, for that matter. It didn't bother them; they weren't the only attraction that night, or the even the most popular one. That honor would most likely fall to the open bar on the other side of the dance floor, which was now covered in tables to accommodate the massive influx of people to the normally sparsely populated bar. But then again, that was what happened when you advertised for a big bash and cheap alcohol.

After placing his music on the stand in front of his chair and sitting down, Neji adjusted the neck strap on his saxophone and looked out into the audience, searching for the small dark head of his younger cousin. When he found her sitting at a table close to the stage with Konohamaru's mother, he smiled in relief and sent her a little wave, which she returned nervously. Kurenai must have passed her off to Konohamaru's mother before returning backstage to get her music folder and filing onto the stage to sit behind the electric keyboard set up in the rhythm section, something Neji was grateful for. At least Hinata wasn't sitting alone.

They had all tuned backstage, but still little farts and honks of sound could be heard in the back as various musicians tried out their instruments in the new space. Despite the noises, still no one in the room was paying any attention to them yet, but Neji knew that would change as soon as they started to play.

"Everyone ready?" Asuma called out from where he was seated behind the drum set, twirling a drumstick in his nimble fingers.

After everyone called back their assent, he nodded and started tapping the cymbal in a steady rhythm. "Alright then, let's give them a show! _One, two, three, four!_ "

A veritable wall of sound blasted outwards into the space of the bar, effectively ending all conversation. As he always did when they first started to play, Neji had to stifle a grin. It was impossible to smile and play at the same time, and he wanted to play.

The time they had been hired to play was only two hours and since they had over five hours worth of music they could play together as a group, there was a lot of decisions to be made on which songs they would play and which would be put aside for the next gig. Of course, there were several favorites, several signature songs they always put on the list no matter what, and that included the piece that had been their closer, the last song they played, for years: the Duel.

At the end of the second to last song, the owner of the bar came up to the stage and said a few words about the band, thanking them for coming out to play for his event, yada yada; Neji wasn't really paying attention. He was too busy focusing on the song they were about to play. It had been a few weeks since he'd last played, and his mouth was starting to feel it; what you don't practice, you lose, especially with instruments, and Neji could definitely tell that he'd lost some ground in his playing. In preparation for the Duel, he'd dropped out of a few songs near the end of their set, letting Moegi take over and just holding his saxophone up and running his fingers over the keys to preserve his mouth for the final push.

While Neji had been busy not paying attention, the owner of the bar had left the stage, and now Moegi hit him with her elbow. "You ready?" She hissed quietly to him.

"As I'll ever be. Let's do this."

Together, they stood up, kicking their chairs backwards to give themselves a little more room. Beside him, Moegi, raised her hand, pulsed it three times in the air, then brought it down harshly - a silent count off since the reed of her tenor was already clenched between her teeth - and the music started behind them. It was familiar - so familiar that Neji could hummed the introduction in his sleep - calming despite the heart pounding tempo it was taken at. Neji's fingers lay gently against the keys of his instrument, caressing them softly, completely loose and relaxed; the mechanics of the song were too difficult for anything but the loosest of fingers to play. The tighter the grip, the harder it was for fingers to move faster.

Both Neji and Moegi had memorized this song years ago, so there was no need for either of them to glance down at their music as they started together in a complex pairing of melody and countermelody. Back when Neji had been the only tenor sax player and this had been his solo, he'd played the melody, but when Moegi had joined the band and they'd decided to include her in the song, he'd given up the melody and switched to the harmony Kurenai had written especially for them so they could have the pleasure of learning the song together, rather than Moegi feeling like she wasn't as good as Neji because he could already play it.

His eyes squeezed shut and his brow furrowed in concentration, Neji played his heart out with with Moegi by his side. This song required nothing short of pouring one's heart out and leaving it on the stage, and Neji was never one to shirk his musical duty.

The tension ramped up as the song flew through the main section and broke into the bridge, and Neji fought the mounting stiffness in his fingers as his nerves started flaring up. It had been a long time since he'd played this song. What if he messed up?

Then the music crested and broke, and Moegi took the lead in her first solo line. The brash confidence with which she played bolstered Neji's own flagging confidence, and he answered her in turn, the two parts now call and response rather than melody and harmony. The band behind them in turns pushed their notes up from below and swept them along in dizzying waves and spikes of sound, leading them on to the inevitable conclusion of the song.

The last third of the song was the hardest part and also the coolest, because it was the section where the two tenor soloists went completely off-script and improvised together. Improvisation was one of the most important, but also one of the most difficult, talents a jazz musician had to have at his disposal because so much of the music they played called for it. It required an advance knowledge of the chord structure of the song and music theory, an intimate knowledge of the instrument being played, and the ability to let go of the control sheet music provided and not be afraid to fly without a concrete plan. It had taken Neji a long time to grow comfortable improvising and even longer to learn to improvise with Moegi, to learn her style enough to be able to predict her movements and change his instantaneously so they fit together, but thanks to all the work the pair had put in together, they sounded amazing.

The part was coming; Neji could sense it almost instinctively. First the band would drop out, leaving only the rhythm section - the drum set, the electric guitar and bass, and the keyboard - to keep the beat and the basic chords structure of the song alive, then Neji would come in first, like he always did. Moegi would take over after a while, then Neji would join her, the two pushing and playing with each other's melodies until the rest of the band once again returned to their music and they finished with a bang, just as they had done a hundred times before. In preparation for the big moment, Neji opened his eyes to survey the crowd, hoping to catch Hinata's eyes, but froze when the eye he caught was one he never thought he'd see again.

 _I will follow you to the ends of the earth and forever_.

 _No, no, no!_ Neji's mind chanted while his bozy remained frozen, looking into gaze he thought he'd left behind. He couldn't be here; it was, quite literally, impossible. So why was his apparition mocking Neji like some kind of ghost of his past?

Suddenly, Neji realized that his moment had come and gone, and he was standing, frozen, his tenor still emitting the single note he'd stopped moving while playing. Behind him was abject silence; even the rhythm section had ground to a halt, confused by his behavior. His eyes widened in fear, but the mocking apparition kept staring at him with those dark eyes, and he felt his heartbeat thud once, painfully, in his breast.

Then instinct took over again and he raised his head slightly and brought it back down, signalling to the band behind him that he was going to start. The rhythm section jumped back in again, a little haphazard at first but melding back together with him within a few beats. Notes poured from his saxophone, one after the other, faster and faster, taking the form of angry arpeggios, tense tritones and chaotic chromatics. Throughout it all, he stared at the apparition, daring it to contest him, daring it to disappear into the recesses of his mind or prove that it was real.

 _But it couldn't be real. He can't come this far away from Konoha. Remember?_

Ignoring his inner voice, Neji put his entire mental energy into playing, pouring forth his emotions in the form of angry melodic poetry. Eventually, when he calmed down a little, Moegi poked him with a careful melody, and he let her take over.

That's right. This was his, his choice, his control; this moment belonged to him and Moegi and the band behind him. That stupid - or genius, as the case might be - phantom had no part in it. Neji closed his eyes again, letting the music take him where it willed.

When the song finally ended, with him and Moegi on the high note, the crowd erupted into cheers. It always amused Neji how an audience could be transformed from something so cold to something like this, crying out for an encore they, unfortunately, couldn't provide. The owner of the bar came back up onto the stage and said something else, but Neji wasn't paying attention; he was searching the crowded tables for a glimpse of the ghost he'd lost sight of when he'd closed his eyes for the second time earlier, but the dark-eyed phantom was nowhere to be found. Fidgeting uncomfortably in his chair and toying with the neck strap supporting his tenor, Neji wondered if he should be relieved that he was only hallucinating or not.

As they filed back off the stage with their music, Moegi poked Neji with the bell of her saxophone, hissing quietly, "Dude, what was that?"

"I know, I know," Neji said quietly, then raised his voice to a normal talking volume after they were out of earshot of the still chattering crowd. "I screwed it up, I'm sorry-"

"What?" Moegi grabbed Neji's shoulder and hauled him around so he could see her excited expression. "Don't be sorry! That was epic! The best you've ever played it!"

"What?" Neji's brow furrowed into a frown as he wondered whether Moegi had been listening to the same notes he'd been playing. "I thought it was terrible!"

"No, it was awesome," Moegi quickly assured him. "Yeah, the beginning was a bit rough, but other than that-"

"Rough is right!" Asuma interrupted with a half-joking, half-serious glare. "Why didn't you tell us that you were going to pull that little stunt? We probably could have pulled it off better if you'd told us what you were planning."

"Asuma's right; we would have fared better with a little warning," Kurenai agreed. "What's going on, Neji? It's not like you to throw wrenches into songs like that; that's Konohamaru's job."

Hearing his name, Konohamaru's head shot up. "Hey!"

A small smile pulled at the corners of Neji's lips. "She is right, though, Konohamaru." Then the smile disappeared as he pulled his saxophone, which had suddenly become almost unbearably heavy, off his body and sighed. "I didn't mean to do it; I thought I recognized someone in the audience, and I just froze. It was very unprofessional and I apologize profusely for it."

"Well, there's no harm's done so there's no need to be so stiff about it," Kurenai said warmly, but her eyes showed more concern than before. "But it isn't like you to be so jumpy. Are you sure that's all it was-?"

"He's been dead for a long time," Neji interrupted, moving away from the group to put his saxophone away and hoping that this piece of information would end the conversation.

Unfortunately, he had no such luck. "Oh, I'm sorry," Moegi cooed as she settled a hand on his shoulder. "Were you close?"

"No. I only knew him for a week or so." Neji's shoulders hunched automatically at the contact. "I'd like to stop talking about it, please."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry-"

"Then don't." Neji turned around after securing the clasp on his saxophone case and hefted the black monstrosity up into his arms with a strained smile he hoped everyone else assumed was due to the weight he was carrying. "Now, where'd Hinata end up? I'd like to ask her what she thought of my performance."

* * *

Hinata had loved the performance, she had told him again and again with shining eyes in that quiet voice of hers as Konohamaru had driven them to the Hyuuga house to drop the young girl off. On the way, Konohamaru had joked that Hinata had shown so much enthusiasm for their music, she would be joining them soon, an idea which put Hinata into a quiet panic and Neji into a fit of overprotectiveness that had Konohamaru chortling after they had left Hinata off, Neji delicately kissing his younger cousin on the forehead and promising to come see her early the next morning, until they had reached Neji's apartment.

Neji had gotten his own apartment as soon as he had turned eighteen almost two years prior, paying for it with the salary he received for the work he did for the Hyuuga family, and it was one of the best decisions he could have made. It allowed him to escape the stifling and sometimes toxic atmosphere that seemed to pervade the air inside the main household, and better yet, it let him offer that reprieve to Hinata every so often as well. The two had shared many pleasant memories, and in some cases, the best times they had spent together, within the walls of Neji's apartment.

When Neji finally made it through the door of his apartment, after spending a full ten minutes listening to Konohamaru say how cute his cousin was and then telling him in no uncertain terms what would happen to him if even so much as looked at her the wrong way, he threw off his jacket - having changed back into his regular clothes before leaving the bar - and collapsed onto the couch with a groan. Everything ached: his back, his neck, his arms; hell, even his mind hurt. What he needed to do was take some more of the kind of pills Sakura had given him and go to sleep, but unfortunately, he didn't keep any in his apartment and no matter how tired his body was, his mind was decidedly awake.

Groaning some more, Neji pushed himself to his feet and moved towards the door of his bedroom, prepared to fall into bed fully clothed and somehow trick his mind to at least pass out, if not sleep properly, but before he reached the door, his jacket, hanging precariously from the back of a chair, caught his eye. Normally, he would never leave something like that on the furniture - he always kept an impeccable home and never left his dirty laundry any place but the bin where it belonged - but he just couldn't make himself take those few extra steps back and pick it up.

 _I'll get it in the morning_ , he decided guiltily, trying not to think how certain interactions might have changed him over the course of the last week, then pushed the door of his bedroom open - and immediately froze.

There, sitting boldly as if it belonged there in the center of the floor of his room, was a familiar chessboard that he had thought he would never see again. While his mind was frozen, still trying to process what it was seeing, Neji's senses activated, sweeping the room and the surrounding area for spectral auras and coming up curiously empty.

Wordlessly, still in shock, Neji made his way into the room and sat down before the chessboard, then suddenly a grin stretched across his face. _What are you doing, sitting here grinning like a fool?_ Neji's mind roared at him, beating at the confines of his skull. _This isn't what you wanted! You left him, remember? How can he even be here, anyway? He shouldn't have been able to leave the town limits of Konoha! This isn't possible! This isn't-_

 _Shut up,_ a new part of Neji's brain announced, a part he decided he rather liked. _Don't think so much._

There was a piece of paper sitting in the center of the chessboard, and when Neji picked it up, he discovered that it was a note written in stocky blunt script. It read, simply: _White Moves First._

The bottom dropped out Neji's stomach at the sight of those familiar words, and he found his grasp loosening on the slip of paper so it slipped from his fingers, drifting to the ground and turning over as it did so, revealing another word: _Well?_

 _Well, indeed?_ Neji marveled as his grin grew even wider. _How about this?_

Purposefully, Neji picked up one of his white pawns, raised it in a salute to the sky, and brought it down two spaces ahead of where it had been with a sharp clack. Not being able to sense the ghost's presence but still knowing that he could hear him, Neji leaned back from the board and placed both hands behind his head with a smirk. "Your move, Shikamaru."


	44. Epilogue Part 2: Itachi's Epilogue

Hey guys, I'm back with the second part of the epilogue, bringing conclusion to another character in our story! Stay tuned tomorrow for the third and last part of the Spectral Eyes epilogue!

Addi out!

Oh, and I don't know if I'm supposed to put this as a warning, but someone says the word suicide near the end, so if that bothers you, just skip the last paragraph. I made it easy for you to notice; it's the only paragraph in ALL CAPS!

Happy reading, everyone! Addi out for realsies this time

* * *

Itachi's Epilogue

Sasuke clutched the guest pass in his sweaty hand hard enough to leave a mark as he looked at the door marked "Room 14, Itachi", unable to convince his body to move any further towards the doorknob. He'd been planning this for weeks: he'd told Fugaku his idea, gotten him to give Sasuke the pass and let him to go alone, rehearsed over and over what he was going to say, but now that the moment had come, Sasuke found himself hesitating. He'd avoided seeing his brother for eight years now; wasn't it a case, of too little, too late? After eight years, would a little longer really matter?

Without his direct bidding, Sasuke's feet took a step backwards, then another, then another. _Yes,_ his mind decided, _it would be best to put this off until tomorrow, or even the next day, or perhaps next week, or maybe when I come home from college for Christmas vacation-_

All of a sudden, there was a clattering sound behind Sasuke as he collided with something solid.

"Oh, sorry, _perdón, perdón_!" a young female said from behind Sasuke in broken English. "I did not see you there!"

"No, it's my fault," Sasuke said automatically as he turned to see a Hispanic nurse in her early twenties picking of dirty plastic plates from the floor. "Here, let me help."

" _No, no,_ I am fine," the nurse tried to protest, but Sasuke had already shoved the guest pass into his jacket pocket and knelt down next to her, gathering up the handful of plastic silverware that had scattered across the hallway floor.

"It was my fault. I insist."

" _Sí,_ if you want to…" the nurse said dubiously, watching Sasuke reach for a plastic knife that had skittered away. When Sasuke had gathered all of the silverware, he stood up and she followed suit, suspicion still in her gaze.

"I do not recognize you," she said abruptly as Sasuke deposited the silverware on the stack of plates in her hands. "Are you a new worker here, _tal vez_?"

"Oh, no." Sasuke pulled the guest pass out of his pocket and held it up for her inspection. "I'm just visiting someone."

Relief flooded through the Hispanic nurse's face. " _Sí_ , visiting," she said with a reassured smile. "You'll have to forgive my rudeness. We can never be too careful when it comes to security in a place like this."

Nodding and hoping the nurse, satisfied in her curiousity, would now leave him alone, Sasuke pushed the guest pass back into his jacket pocket and started walking down the hallway. "It's no problem. I understand."

Luck was not on his side, however, and the nurse practically skipped along beside him, hugging the dirty plates close to her chest. "So, you are visiting someone in your family? A parent? Sister? Brother, _tal vez_?"

A sense of guilt swamped through Sasuke's stomach. "Actually… I think I'm just going to leave. I don't know if I can face him."

" _Qué_? Leave? Without a visit?" The nurse turned a reproachful look on Sasuke. "Why? Do you no longer want to see who you have come here to see?"

"No…" Sasuke stopped walking suddenly, his mind buzzing with arguments and counterarguments. "I do want to see him…"

"Then what? Are you afraid?"

The accusation, though it was voiced in a kindly tone, made Sasuke flinch, and he looked away from the nurse, ashamed and unable to speak.

"Ah, _el niño,_ " the nurse said gently, and Sasuke had the feeling that she would have been patting his head if her hands weren't full of dirty dishes. "You are here to see someone you care about, and they are also waiting to see you. But think about, if you are scared to see them, how much more scared they must be to see you! Don't you owe it to whoever you are here to see to conquer your own fear to show them that they, in turn, have nothing to fear? How can they heal if the very people they rely on most believe they are broken beyond repair?"

Each word the nurse uttered was like the impact of a gunshot to Sasuke's eight-years guilty conscious. He flinched, gripping the pass in his pocket so hard, the edges of the plastic card bit painfully into the soft flesh of his palms.

"That pass you have is a blessing not given most families of patients here," the nurse continued, driving the guilty spike even further into Sasuke's heart and gut. "So many wish for the chance to see their loved ones again, even for just a few minutes, and here you are, throwing that chance away!"

Sasuke swallowed thickly. "I know," he said, unable to raise his face to meet the nurse's knowing gaze. "It's just… it's been so long… I don't know if he'd even recognize me anymore…"

"Doesn't that make it even more important for you to go see him now, while you have the chance?"

Shocked into action, Sasuke jerked his head up so his gaze collided with the nurse's kindly one.

"I am not allowed to tell you to visit whoever you are here to see," she said gently, her eyes holding an understanding Sasuke never dreamed he could find, "but I can advise you not to let distance come between you and someone you care about. You will only regret it later if you do."

Sasuke's body froze as still as a statue while his mind tried to process this, and the nurse flashed him one last smile before taking a few steps backwards down the hallway.

"You must excuse me; I have work to do. I hope that I have been able to help you, _el niño._ "

And with that, she left Sasuke and sauntered down the hallway, humming a Spanish-sounding lullaby that echoed off the hard, unadorned walls.

 _Don't let distance come between you and someone you care about._

Sasuke had to resist the urge to bash his head against the wall until his brains splattered out in a rush of viscous grey fluid so maybe, just maybe, he could read what to do in the innermost sanctuaries of his own mind. He knew the nurse had intended to help him with her pseudo-psychiatric advice, but she'd only succeeded in making him feel more confused and guilty.

 _Don't let distance come between you and someone you care about._

Leaning his head back against the wall, Sasuke pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, blocking out the vision of the overly sterile hallway. Did he even care for Itachi? The bastard had attacked him when he was ten years old, mentally scarred him, and he'd spent the last eight years of his life hating him. Could he really move past an emotion that had been so deeply ingrained into his being, it had become almost a habit? Did he even want to?

 _You will only regret it later if you do._

"Tch." Sasuke allowed the annoyed syllable to fall unencumbered from his mouth, the harsh consonants causing a minute droplet of spittle to fly out and perch on his lower lip. If he left now, everything he'd done to prepare for this moment, and indeed, many of the things he'd experienced over the summer that had led him to the desire to see his brother again, would all be for naught. It would be a coward's way out, and Sasuke had no intention of being a coward. Wincing, he rubbed the skin of his neck, feeling phantom sympathetic pains as if he had been the one bruised, not Neji.

 _If I cannot learn to forgive, how can I expect forgiveness for my own actions?_

A more confident spring in his step, Sasuke turned and walked back down the hallway, stopping in front of the door marked with his brother's name and knocking on it without hesitation.

* * *

"Hmmm… knight on C-3 to B-5. Capture the bishop that's occupying the square."

"Have I told you yet how utterly impressed I am by the fact that you're able to play a game of chess from memory, and manage to beat me while doing it?" Kisame asked in a tone of amazement as he moved the piece Itachi had requested and removed his own piece from the board, placing it with a sharp, audible click next to his patient's hand.

"Several times already, but it's always nice to hear it again," Itachi replied with a smile, running his fingers over the head of the bishop he'd just captured.

"Then I shall say it again, and several more times besides," Kisame laughed. "Okay, my move is… the rook on H-8 to H-4, capturing the pawn there."

"Hm…" Itachi had rather hoped that Kisame would capture his knight, then the whole game would be set up for his win, but he hadn't taken the bait. It appeared Itachi would have to try something different. "Um… move the pawn on A-3 to A-4."

Before Kisame could carry out the move, a knock sounded from the door, and Itachi frowned in surprise. "Were we expecting someone?"

"Not to my knowledge," Kisame answered, moving Itachi's chess piece as he'd requested. "Is it your father, perhaps?"

"No, he wouldn't knock; he's got the code." Now Itachi was starting to get curious, and worried. _And on today of all days…_ "Can you go see who it is?" Maybe if Kisame got distracted, he wouldn't give so much attention to the game and he'd fall into the trap Itachi had set.

"On it." Kisame stood up from the table, his chair dragging across the floor with a loud scraping sound, and moved to the door as a second series of knocks resounded through the room. "Alright, already. Hold your horses; I'm coming."

Itachi sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest as Kisame opened up the door. Who could it be? He was practically itching to find out.

Whoever Kisame had expected to find on the other side of the door, it certainly wasn't who he found, because the first words out of his mouth were, "I'm sorry; I think you have the wrong room."

"No, this is the right room," a quiet yet strong voice of a young man in his early twenties or late teens said. "I'm here to see Itachi."

A frown pulled down the corners of Itachi's lips as his visitor spoke. Why did his voice sound so familiar…?

"The patient in this room doesn't see visitors," Kisame said firmly, sounding as if he was preparing to close the door in the young man's face. "You need to leave, please."

"This visit was cleared by the administrator of this ward several days ago. You should have been notified already. I have a pass," the voice argued, and again Itachi was struck by a sense of familiarity. There was some rustling, presumably as the pass was procured and bared for Kisame's inspection. "See?"

If possible, there was even more suspicion in Kisame's voice when he spoke next. "Why do you have a family visitor's pass?"

This time, when the young man spoke, Itachi recognized him before the first syllable had been absorbed by the padding of the walls in his room. "I'm his brother."

"S-Sasuke?" The word passed through Itachi's trembling lips on an uneven wisp of breath.

Itachi heard Kisame move to the side and stood up behind the table, knowing his younger brother would now have a full and unobstructed view of him.

"It-Itachi," Sasuke echoed, stuttering a little as well. The sound of his nervous swallow was audible even across the room. "It- it's been a long time."

"Yes," Itachi answered, not sure what else he could say. His mind was still reeling from shock, too numb to process the fact that Sasuke was here, now, and for some miraculous reason hadn't yet come at him with a dull butter knife. But, then again, it wasn't as if Itachi had any eyes left to gouge out; he'd taken care of that job himself eight years ago.

It was a good thing Kisame was in the room as well, otherwise the two brothers might have stood staring at each other - at least in Sasuke's case - in silence for a long time, perhaps indefinitely, each waiting for the other to speak.

"Come in," he offered, and Itachi heard a light set of footsteps proceed into the room before the sound of the door clicking shut. "Would you like to sit?"

"I'll stand for now, but thanks for the offer," Sasuke answered, and Itachi heard his footsteps stop a few paces away.

Swallowing, Itachi finally managed to find his voice. "Not to be rude, bringing this up without any introduction, but… why? Why are you here? Why now?" Why now, when he could have come years ago? Why, of all times, _now?_

For a few seconds, Sasuke didn't respond, and Itachi thought he was going to ignore his question. Then there was a faint sound of the intake of air, and Itachi waited breathlessly for the words that would follow it, not knowing what to expect, and certainly not expecting what came.

"They can poison the mind with a single carefully crafted sentence and make a man go mad."

Itachi froze, the very air inside his lungs turning to a solid mass as he heard the echo of those very same words he had uttered eight years ago.

"Wh… what?"

"They can poison the mind with a single carefully crafted sentence and make a man go mad," Sasuke repeated, but softer this time, gentler. "You were the one who told me that, weren't you? About the Akatsuki. Back then…"

"I… I…" Itachi stuttered, unable to formulate his sentence on the first try. "I didn't think you would remember that night. Father said..."

"That I'd blocked it from my memory?" Sasuke supplied. "I had, from my conscious memory, at least. But my subconscious brought it out when I needed it the most."

"When you… needed…?"

"I finally figured out something because of it," Sasuke continued without responding to Itachi's interruption. "And the most important part of it is that I understand now… and I'm sorry."

"Oh, Sasuke, you don't have anything to be sorry for-"

"Yes, I do," Sasuke interrupted quietly. "For not trying to understand; for not coming to see you before now… for not forgiving you."

Itachi turned his face away, unable to see his brother's expression, and yet still unable to face it. "There's no reason you should feel the need to offer me forgiveness; I wouldn't deserve it even if you did-"

"That's not true," Sasuke interrupted again, even quieter this time, as if the words were directed at himself and not Itachi. "If I can't forgive you, how can I expect - or even accept - forgiveness for the things I've done?"

It took a few seconds for the full meaning of Sasuke's words to sink into Itachi's numb brain, but when they did, he drew in a sharp breath, everything coming into abrupt focus. "You… you've seen one, too?"

"Five," Sasuke correct with an achingly hollow half-laugh.

"Five?" Itachi felt almost sick to his stomach, and he gripped the edge of the table to steady himself. "What… what happened?"

"It's kind of a long story," Sasuke admitted. "But it culminated in Neji Hyuuga owing the retention of his ability to speak normally to a couple of phantoms who managed to pull me off him before I throttled him." There was guilt in Sasuke's voice, making it raw and hoarse.

 _Jesus Christ_. The story was hauntingly familiar to his own, except Sasuke had gone for the throat, barehanded, while Itachi had premeditated an attack on the eyes with a kitchen utensil. His throat constricting suddenly at the memory of the blackness his mind had harboured back then, Itachi doubled almost completely over, gasping for air, unable to breathe, his grip tightening to a painful level on the edge of the table, but his heartbeat remained steady and loud in his ears. From the other side of the room, Kisame moved toward Itachi in concern.

"Itachi? Are you alight?"

"I'm fine!" Itachi managed to gasp out, pushing aside his memories and focusing on the presence of his brother, a few scant feet away from him. "It's alright, Kisame. I'm okay."

"Itachi?" This time it was Sasuke who spoke in a concerned tone. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Itachi repeated, then shook his head in amazement. "You're a stronger man than I ever was, Sasuke."

"That's not true," Sasuke corrected softly, his hair rustling softly as he gave his head a slight shake. "They completely sucked me under their spell. I only made it through because I wasn't alone."

 _As I was alone._ But Itachi ignored the thought, focusing instead on Sasuke's words. "Was Father with you?"

Sasuke's voice abruptly turned cold. "He doesn't know," he announced with a finality that said the matter was closed. "And he can't ever know."

So Sasuke and their father were not on the best of terms right now. Itachi nodded once, storing the information away. "Then who?"

"A motley collection of friends, enemies-turned-allies, ghosts… and you."

Itachi's heartbeat thudded once, loudly, in his ears. "M...me?"

"I started hallucinating," Sasuke admitted, shame in his voice. "I let them drag me down further than you ever fell. But when I hit the bottom, I saw you, and you told what to do. I realized after that it was my subconscious pulling up the memories of what you said to me that night so I could finally make sense of them. The things you told me all those years ago… they probably saved my life."

"Oh, Sasuke…" Itachi instinctively reached out a hand and placed it comfortingly on Sasuke's shoulder. "You're stronger than you know. Whatever you did, you did it under your own power."

Sasuke stiffened at the contact and Itachi immediately regretted his snap decision, but then Sasuke reached up and covered Itachi's hand with his own. "You are, too."

"Sasuke…?" Itachi gasped uncertainly, his hand grasping onto Sasuke's shoulder like it was a lifeline.

"Stronger than you know," Sasuke clarified, and there was a strange thickness in his voice that wasn't there before. "I had so many people around me, but you… you were all alone, with so many people hating you."

"Did you hate me?" Itachi asked quietly, almost dreading the answer.

"I used to think I did," Sasuke answered with a sniff, and Itachi realized with a start that the thickness in his voice was tears. "But I don't, not anymore. Now I just hate the people who took my precious big brother away from me!"

Itachi stood still in shock, completely floored as Sasuke covered his mouth with the hand not holding Itachi's to stifle a sob. His precious, beautiful little brother, the person he thought he'd pushed away forever, didn't hate him, wanted to forgive him? The thought was not one he'd ever even dreamed he could entertain, and yet Sasuke was here, ready and willing to offer the one thing he hadn't know how badly he'd needed until he'd dared to think he could ask for it. His lips parted, unsure, positive that this couldn't be right, that he must be mistaken somehow.

"Sasuke, I don't-"

He was cut off as Sasuke threw himself forward to embrace Itachi and bury his wet face in his shirt. The move caught him off guard and he froze, one arm still outstretched and the other hovering at his side, not touching Sasuke, until his little brother whispered in a tearstained voice, "I missed you, Big Brother."

The arms that squeezed him were the strong arms of an adult, but it seemed to Itachi that his little eight-year-old brother was hugging him again, crying because he'd fallen down and scraped his knee or their father hadn't come see him dance. Undone by that simple gesture, Itachi hugged Sasuke back, pulling his body as close as he could. Past the lump in his throat, Itachi managed to whisper, "I've missed you too, Sasuke."

Pulling his face away from Itachi's chest, Sasuke wiped tears away from his eyes and let out a shaky laugh. "You know, I almost didn't make it here today. I was standing right outside your door, and I almost turned and walked away."

"What stopped you?" Itachi couldn't help but ask, tightening his grip around Sasuke's waist.

"This nurse said something to me," Sasuke replied, laying his head back against Itachi's chest. " _You'll regret it if you don't._ It made me think of all the things I would miss out on if I kept putting it off to the eternal tomorrow… and now I'm very glad I came back."

"So am I," Itachi said, leaning his head down so his cheek resting on top of Sasuke's head. "So am I."

The pair might have been content to stay like that for a long time if a cough from several feet away hadn't interrupted them. "Um, I hate to be a stickler for the rules at a time like this, but you're really not supposed to have prolonged full-body contact with one of the patients…"

"Oh, come off it, Kisame," Itachi snapped, tightening his grip on Sasuke ever so slightly. "We are having a moment here! And it's not like you haven't broken that rule before yourself."

"It's okay," Sasuke said lightly, pulling back gently from Itachi. "I actually have somewhere to go after this, so I should probably leave anyway."

"You're going?" A pang of agony ripped through Itachi's chest.

"I have to, unfortunately," Sasuke said ruefully, disentangling himself from Itachi fully except for a hand on his upper arm. "But I can come back tomorrow and see you again, if that's okay?"

The words were said with such hope that Itachi just couldn't crush them. "Sure," he said with a gentle smile even though each word was like a stab to his gut. "I'd love for you to come back tomorrow."

"It's a date, then!"

Sasuke started to draw out of his reach, but Itachi caught his receding arm before he could disappear from his realm of perception altogether. "Wait! Sasuke…"

"Yes, Itachi?"

The quiet, trusting way the words were spoken, so similar to the way he'd answered eight years prior when Itachi had called out to him with a knife hidden behind his back, made Itachi's throat clench up momentarily. When he had recovered enough to speak, he asked thickly, "Will you let me look at you before you go? Please?"

Kisame shifted awkwardly on the other side of the table, clearly confused by his request, but Sasuke understood right away. "Of course."

He reached for the hand grasping his arm and gently detached it, threading his fingers through Itachi's briefly before laying the hand against his own cheek.

Slowly, Itachi dragged the soft pads of his fingertips over Sasuke's cheek, feeling every contour and change from the child he had known. The rough stubble of a light five o'clock shadow prickled his fingertips when he dragged them lower - when had his baby brother gotten big enough to need to shave? - before he reached the angular bone of his jaw, sharper than he had remembered in that pudgy eight-year-old's face. His cheekbone, too, was sharper and more defined now that he'd grown into his face, the baby fat melting away to reveal someone Itachi guessed would be considered handsome by most. Without thinking, he allowed his thumb to brush up against Sasuke's lower eyelashes, and the younger Uchiha immediately tensed up.

Itachi froze as well, wondering if he'd accidentally stepped over some unspoken boundary, but after a few seconds Sasuke took a deep breath and released it, expelling the tension from his body with the air he expelled from his lungs, then his eyes fluttered closed, his eyelashes dropping down to rest daintily on Itachi's thumb.

Taking this as a sign he could proceed, Itachi took a step closer to Sasuke and brought his other hand up so he was cradling Sasuke's face in both hands. Sasuke's breathing ratcheted up a notch but he didn't protest, so Itachi allowed his thumbs to brush over Sasuke's closed eyelids and smooth down his eyebrows, feeling the contours of his forehead and committing them all to memory, because he knew he wouldn't be able to see them again.

Directly over Sasuke's right eye, there was a healing scar, all that remained of a once deep wound. Tapping it gently with his index finger, Itachi asked, "How did you get this?"

"Broken glass," Sasuke answered, sounding breathless from the contact. "A big plate of it shattered and a shard flew up and hit me."

"You should be more careful," Itachi said gently, drawing his finger down from the scar to Sasuke's still closed eyelid, a frighteningly short distance. "What if it had hit your eye?"

Itachi realized how ridiculous that must have sounded coming from him, but Sasuke didn't remark on it.

"I know," he said instead. "I was scared at the time, too. But I was lucky, in more ways than one."

"That's good."

Itachi had intended to let go after that, but he found himself hesitating. Suddenly, he moved both his thumbs up to rest on Sasuke's forehead as a reference point and leaned down to press a kiss between them.

"It's times like this I wish I still possessed the ability to cry," he whispered, but not loud enough for Sasuke to hear him. His lips lingered on the soft skin of Sasuke's forehead, not wanting to leave, but eventually he pushed himself back with a sigh.

"Don't let me keep you," he said lightly, the corner of his lips quirking up.

"As if there were any place I'd rather be than here." Sasuke sighed as well, and Itachi could almost visualize the disappointed look on his newly familiarized face. "But I really should be going. Same time tomorrow?"

"Sure," Itachi agreed with a smile, even as another pang shot through his chest.

"I'll show you out," Kisame offered, and Itachi heard a rustle of cloth as Sasuke turned to answer him.

"Thank you- oh, I never did catch your name. What is it?"

"It's Kisame," Kisame answered, his footsteps receding towards the door and opening it. "I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow, Sasuke."

"And you as well, Kisame," Sasuke answered warmly, his footsteps following Kisame's toward the door before turning one last time to look back at Itachi. "Goodbye, Itachi. I'll be back again tomorrow."

Itachi couldn't bring himself to utter the finality of a goodbye, so he just smiled. "I can't wait."

When the door closed behind Sasuke, Itachi searched around until he found the back on the chair he had been sitting in, then sank down into it, pressing the heels of his palms over his empty eye sockets. "Oh, Kisame, this is too cruel. Why _now_ , of all times, does Sasuke have to decide to mend the bond between us? Now… when I'm about to escape this place forever."

Kisame drew back the chair opposite Itachi and sat down. "Do you want to stay now? To be with your brother?"

Surprised, Itachi dropped his hands from his face and raised his head. "You said that wasn't an option, that once we'd agreed there was no going back-"

"That wasn't what I asked you, Itachi." Kisame reached forward and laid his hand on Itachi's cheek. "If, given the choice between seeing your brother every day for the rest of you life or escaping and never seeing him again, would you choose to stay?"

Itachi bit his lip and lowered his head, running the problem over in his mind. "I would choose to go," he said finally, each word traversing the distance from his brain to his mouth slowly as he pieced them together in the perfect way to articulate his feelings. "However much I love my brother and however much I want to spend more time with him now that we've reconnected, I've still been without the pleasure- no, the basic human right, to feel the outside air for too long, and I'd trade anything to feel that even just one more time. Although," he added, his hand tightening into a fist so his nails pressed little half-moons into the soft flesh on his palm, "no matter how much harder it is to leave now that I know Sasuke will being coming back tomorrow, I'm still happy that I got to see him one more time and know that he's forgiven me. Who was it that said it was better to have loved and lost than never loved at all?"

"I think it was Tennyson, though I could be mistaken." Kisame leaned back, his chair squeaking under his weight. "Is that really what you think?"

Biting his lip, Itachi nodded once, then again, more confidently. "Yes, I'm positive."

"Good." Kisame reached for the case he'd brought the chess set in and popped open the hidden secret panel at the bottom. "Then, Itachi Uchiha, are you ready to die?"

"I've already done it once before; I'm ready to do it again," Itachi said confidently, laying his arm, palm up, on the table. "But didn't we need to finish the game first?"

"It won't be necessary; that was only to eat up some time, Sasuke's visit did that for us. Everything should be ready by now."

The sudden bite of cold metal against his wrist from the blade of the knife Kisame had drawn from the secret compartment of the chess case made Itachi hiss in surprise.

"You sure you're up for this?" Kisame asked in sudden concern. "We can try to find another way-"

"No, no, it's too late now." Itachi slid his arm back along the table so the knife was resting over his palm, then closed his hand so the blade cut through his skin, bringing a thin line of blood to the surface that beaded up and dripped down his hand. "See? I'm fine."

"O-okay," Kisame said in a shaky voice. "I- I'm going to make the cut now."

The blade trembled against Itachi's skin but didn't press down any further, so he reached forward and grasped Kisame's wrist gently.

"Together?" He asked gently.

"Together," Kisame agreed, the relief in his voice palpable.

As one, Itachi and Kisame drew their hands back, creating a shallow but wide cut in Itachi's palm that started welling blood as soon as the knife was withdrawn. Quickly, Itachi curled his hand and pulled it back so the blood wouldn't spill on the table, then held it over the floor and pumped his fist several times to make the blood flow faster as Kisame quickly pulled bandages he had stolen from a hospital supply cabinet from the hidden compartment in the chess case. Though he couldn't see it, he knew that his blood would be forming a spreading pool on the floor on the opposite side of the table from the camera.

"Alright, that should be enough," Kisame said after about half a minute of steady flow, and Itachi immediately closed up his hand and extended it to Kisame, who wrapped the bandage tightly around it. "How do you feel? Are you lightheaded at all?"

"Fine so far," Itachi said, giving his fingers an experimental wriggle. "My nose and fingers tingle a bit though."

"That's not an issue; you haven't lost enough blood to require a transfusion, but try not to move as much as you can help it. The person who's waiting for us will have some iron supplements for you to take as soon as we meet him, so not to faint until then if you can help it." There was a muffled thump as he dropped a set of street clothes onto the table next to the chessboard. "Now strip."

With a wordless nod, Itachi started pulling his shirt over his head. Normally, he would have used the opportunity to make some kind of snide sarcastic remark, but this was too serious to joke about. As he dropped it to the floor, he heard Kisame move over to arrange it next to the pool of blood behind the table and quickly discarded his pants as well. As soon as Kisame had finished placing the clothes in the correct position, he quickly helped Itachi dress into the street clothes and handed him a pair of shoes to slip on while he put the final finishing touches on their scene. The clothing felt strange to Itachi, like a skin he hadn't worn in eight years, the cloth much rougher than what he was used to with the soft hospital supplied clothes, but he found that he liked it. When he was ready, he stood up, and heard Kisame stand up next to him.

"You ready?" He asked nervously, raising his wrist again, but Kisame stopped him.

"One more thing."

"Wha-?Ah!"

Itachi gasped as he felt the bandage around his eyes being torn away and he immediately tried to cover his empty gaping eye sockets, but Kisame quickly pulled his hands down and perched something on his face before he could resist.

"Sunglasses," he explained to Itachi's unasked question. "The bandage is too noticeable. _Now_ we're ready."

Itachi gave a short nod, feeling strangely exposed as the sunglasses slid down his nose and he had to push them up again. "Good. I am too."

"You remember what we have to do, right? There's approximately a three second delay before they can get the camera running, so we need to be out of range before then-"

"Kisame!" Itachi reached up and pressed his hand against Kisame's lips. "I remember the plan; we made it together. We can do this. Okay?"

There was a short pause as Kisame reached up and touched Itachi's cheek gently, then he nodded. "Yes. On three?"

Itachi nodded and held out his arm. "One."

The blade of the knife pressed flat against his arm, resting gently against his pulse. "Two," Kisame echoed, his hand steady as it held the knife against Itachi's flesh.

As one voice, they announced together, "Three."

In one swift movement, Kisame cut the strap of the heart rate monitor strapped to his wrist and allowed both it and the knife drop to floor, then seized Itachi's wrist and pulled him towards the door of the cell and outside of the room, leaving behind them an empty room as the intercom crackled to life.

"Kisame, what's going on? The patient's heart rate suddenly flat-lined- AHHHHHHHH! BLOOD! BLOOD! CALL A DOCTOR TO ROOM 14! THERE'S BLOOD ON THE FLOOR-! WAIT, IS THAT A KNIFE? CODE SILVER! I REPEAT, WE HAVE A SUICIDE ATTEMPT!


	45. Epilogue Part 3: Sasuke's Epilogue

Here it is, folks, the long anticipated final chapter of Spectral Eyes! I don't know if anyone noticed, but sorta half by accident, half by design, this last chapter was published exactly one year after first chapter was uploaded. Poetic, huh?

And now for an IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTICE! (Please read it; I spent a lot of effort to write it):

I've decided that I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to with Spectral Eyes, so I will be writing a sequel! Yay! Except I've got some stuff to do, so the first chapter won't be posted until January (aw). So everyone make sure to follow me as an author to get notified if you want to read the sequel, and I know I left a lot of things untied (mostly on purpose), but if you have a specific question you want answered, feel free to ask it and I'll try to incorporate it into the sequel.

Also, I hope I didn't fake anyone out too bad who was counting on there being something a little more, let's say, _rewarding_ for the M rating, but it just didn't feel right in the flow of the story. I've decided to keep the rating as is for several specific instances (Naruto's dirty jokes, cough cough) but the sequel will feature such gems of that sort.

And with that all said, happy reading everyone! Addi out!

* * *

Sasuke's Epilogue

Ten months later

Sakura wrapped her hands around the warm ceramic comfort of a hot mug of tea, letting the steam wash over her face and trying to ignore her silent phone as it sat with a conspicuous level of inactivity on the table next to her. It was already halfway through May, but a cold wind had blown in from the ocean, chilling the air to an abrupt frosty level and leading Sakura to enjoy her heated cup of tea almost as much as she wasn't enjoying the continued silence of her phone.

Closing her eyes in a sinful ecstasy, Sakura inhaled a long draft of steam, feeling the damp air soothe her throat made dry and scratchy from the dryness of the frozen air. She was taking a break in the kitchen after testing all the appliances for the coming summer season, the last of which had been the ancient stovetop teapot and coffee maker. Not many of the Hokage's knew, but in addition to making all the food served in the Inn by hand and the same general cleaning normal hotel workers did, she and the other workers were required to keep all the appliances - most of them almost as ancient as the building itself - in working order and compliant with safety regulations. It was a difficult, thankless job and nobody liked to do it. On more than one occasion, they'd all ganged up on Kakashi and tried to make him update the appliances, but he'd just told them that the old apparati - including the ancient plumbing and the heating system that had to be dealt with gingerly, otherwise it would quit in the middle of winter, leading to frozen and burst pipes - were imperative to the aura of the Inn. However, Sakura and the others believed it was because he was either too lazy or too cheap to purchase any newer models.

Taking another sip of her tea, Sakura tried and failed to avoid sending another pointed glance at the silence cell phone next to her. Sasuke was supposed to contact her; had been supposed to contact her days ago. At the end of his visit last summer, he'd given her his number and a promise: that he would help her, to the best of his ability, to get accepted into a good pre-med program and on a scholarship, and against all odds, he'd managed to do it, landing her a spot next to him the very same program his father had encouraged him to attend. Sakura hadn't believed it when the letter first arrived on her doorstep, but when she'd called him, he'd assured her it was real. Her parents hadn't been as thrilled as she had been, worried as they had been about distance and money, but she'd convinced them eventually, and throughout the whole process, Sasuke had been her rock, always a phone call away whenever she needed him, which only made his continued silence now more suspicious.

With a sigh, Sakura set the mug of tea down, reaching for her phone with the intent of trying to dial Sasuke up again, but stopped when the tea sloshed out of the mug after she let go of it, spreading out in a dark puddle across the wooden surface of the table. Letting out a subtle curse, Sakura grabbed up the hand towel from the dish rack and was about to wipe up the spill when small wet marks began to appear on the table next to the liquid, as if some small invisible hand was drawing with the water.

 _Still nothing?_

Sighing again, Sakura sat back down. "No, nothing yet, Naruto. Have some patience. I'm sure he'll call eventually."

The cupboard doors across the kitchen rattled, a sign of the phantom's annoyance and displeasure.

"I know, I know, I'm worried too. But we all can do is wait, really."

Shortly after Sasuke had left, Naruto had started talking to Sakura through means like this. The first time it had happened, she'd freaked out substantially, but now they talked almost every day without issue. Occasionally, some of the other phantoms would try to contact her as well, or Naruto would talk to some of the other workers at the Hokage that he'd made contact with the summer before - luckily, Kabuto wasn't in that group, having convinced himself the whole episode with the Akatsuki was a bad dream he'd gotten after falling and hitting his head, a theory not contested by anyone else who'd been present - but the majority of the ghost-human interactions happened between Naruto and Sakura. After a while, Sakura found that she was quite enjoying these strange, one-sided chats she had with the ghost, more than she thought she would.

From outside the kitchen, Kakashi's voice rang through the hallways. "Sakura? Where are you? Finished the tests yet?"

Sakura quickly used the tea towel to wipe up the mess of Naruto's question- and to make herself appear buisier. "I'm in the kitchen," she called out as she stood up and moved to the sink.

A few seconds later, Kakashi strode into the kitchen, sending Sakura a disapproving look with his one visible eye when he saw the mug sitting on the table. "Tea?"

"I was making sure the kettle worked," Sakura protested, holding up the ancient, soapy teakettle as proof.

"The kettle didn't need to be tested; it's a cast iron behemoth. You were just taking a break."

"All cast iron cookware need to be washed and used once before we use them to cook for customers, otherwise we could have rust contamination." Sakura rinsed off the kettle and started toweling off the excess water. "With as many of the damn things as you own, I'm surprised you didn't know that."

But Kakashi only scoffed, picking up Sakura's mug of tea. "I don't cook- that's what I pay you to do." He took a sip of the tea and made a face. "Bleh. Don't you put any sugar in this stuff?"

Sakura dried her hands on the towel, threw it over her shoulder, and deftly plucked the mug out of Kakashi's grip. "You really should try to learn these things, you know," she admonished him while taking a gulp her now significantly cooled tea. "I'm not going to be around here forever."

The quip was meant as a joke, but guilt flooded Sakura when she noticed how quiet and still Kakashi had gone, the ever-present twinkle disappearing from his eye.

"What am I going to do without you kids around here to help me out? I'll be lost without you."

"You'll have your other employees," Sakura protested, trying to think of a way to delicately extricate herself from the uncomfortable situation she'd unwittingly dragged herself into.

Her answer only served to make Kakashi look more morose, if possible. Shaking his head, he responded, "Not like you guys, I won't."

Sakura allowed the hand holding the tea mug to settle down against the table. It was true; the team composed of herself, Ino, Choji, and Tenten practically ran the Hokage themselves. They'd been here for as far back as they'd been legally able to, and some of them even beyond that. They knew the ins and outs of the out building - and the business - better than even Kakashi did. Sakura called all the shots in the kitchen, even planning the menu and taking stock of inventory, while Tenten headed up the cleaning squad, assigning duties and checking what rooms needed what treatment. Choji, for as as often as he was behind the reception desk, practically ran the entire reservation process, and Ino, who didn't show it often but was actually quite good at math, even did most of the bookkeeping for the business's annual tax report. Of course, most of these positions should probably have been filled by people who had higher qualifications than a group of teeagers with limited food safety and CPR certifications, but Kakashi was perfectly happy to let them handle the work instead of a pricy new "certified expert" who didn't know how things were run in the Inn. Sure, they would all probably come back next spring to work the summers between the months they were away at college, but they wouldn't be able to do everything they'd done before, and Kakashi was definitely feeling the pressure to train a completely new group of workers to fill the high level positions Sakura and her friends now held and would soon abandon.

Sakura didn't want to think about this right now. She _was_ going to go off to school; she owed it to Sasuke for all his help and to herself for getting that scholarship. She couldn't let Kakashi's depression weaken her resolve.

At that moment, the bell at the front door of the Hokage rang, signalling that someone was trying to get in. Sakura immediately jumped up in relief at the reprieve - for indeed, that's what it was - and announced that she was going to get it. Choji was scheduled to come in soon and test the inter-building phone system; it wa probably just him, stuck knocking because he'd forgotten his key again.

A disapproving frown already fixed to her face, Sakura stomped down the hallway and pulled open the door, ready to tell Choji off for forgetting his key again. "I hope you're proud of yourself. This is the third time this week-!"

She broke off abruptly as soon as she realized that it wasn't Choji she had opened the door to see. In fact, the person was so bundled up, wearing a patterned black and white winter hat with a navy pompom on top, a thick scarf of the same colors and pattern, and a light brown trench coat over numerous layers that hid his frame beneath bulky fabric, that she couldn't tell who it was at first. Then the stranger pulled the scarf away from his mouth and flashed her an apologetic smile.

"Hello, Sakura."

All her breath escaped Sakura as she looked at the boy in front of her. Those darting black eyes, the dark fringe of hair peeking out from under the ridiculous hat he was wearing, the slightly aloof yet endearing curl of his upper lip- he was unmistakable.

"S-Sasuke?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but before a sound could escape his lips, his eyes widened in shock and he collapsed into the last remaining snowbank as if he'd just been punched in the gut by a locomotive. Or, Sakura corrected herself as she watched a smile light up his face and his arms come up to embrace the air, by an overexcited ghost.

"Naruto!" Sasuke cried in a happy tone that ruined his angry words, confirming Sakura's suspicions. "Let me up! The ground's wet!"

A clear giggle cut through the crisp air, and standing between her and Sasuke, Sakura thought she saw the shadow of a boy silhouetted by a golden beam of light, but as soon as she blinked, the vision was gone, leaving behind the image of a young man struggling to get to his feet in a ray of sunlight.

"Here, let me help you up," Sakura said automatically, going into hostess mode as she extended a hand to Sasuke, which he gladly accepted.

"Thanks," he said, his gloved hand lingering in hers for perhaps a second longer than necessary before he coughed and withdrew it. "Sorry."

"Why didn't you answer my calls?" Sakura demanded as soon as her stunned mind started working at full capacity again. "I was worried about you!"

"Ah, about that…" Sasuke shuffled his feet in embarrassment. "I told my parents my phone was broken so they wouldn't try to contact me, and I shut it off so I wouldn't accidentally use it and make them suspicious. They were against me coming, see… Sorry if you were trying to contact me."

The explanation made sense, but Sakura was still angry. "You could have at least sent an email or something to tell us you were coming!" A sudden suspicion rose into her mind. "Why are you here, anyway? Shouldn't you be at school?"

Sakura's suspicion only intensified when Sasuke looked down at the threshold, refusing to meet her gaze. "All my finals are over," he mumbled, completely ignoring her first question. "...Is Kakashi here?"

His question was answered by the set of footsteps leading from the kitchen. "Sakura? What's taking so lo- Oh, for God's sake, Sakura, why are you standing there with the door open? Don't you know how much it costs me to heat this place?"

Without a word, Sakura stepped back from the door, exposing Sasuke to Kakashi's line of sight. The owner of the Inn froze when he recognized the boy, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

"Sasuke…?"

"Hey, Kakashi," Sasuke said with an apologetic smile, his hands tucked deep into his pockets and his back hunched at an awkward angle. "I'm here to cash in that favor."


	46. Author's Notice

Author's Notice:

The first chapter of the sequel to Spectral Eyes, titled White Moves First, is officially out! You can find the link in my profile if you wish to continue the journey in this AU. The sequel is ShikaNeji centric instead of SasuNaru centric and will focus more on Neji and Sasuke and the Akatsuki rather than those who were left behind in Konoha, tying up many loose ends from the original story, so I encourage everyone to continue the story!

Addi out!

* * *

And because you're not technically supposed to post an Author's notice without chapter content, here's a little preview for you:

"I… I'm fine," Itachi finally managed to say, his heart beating faster than normal, free from the constraints of the heart rate monitor. "I'm more than fine… Kisame, I'm free! I just… I just…" The breath in his lungs catches again. "It's just… at times like these… I wish I still possessed the ability to cry."


End file.
